Something About a Peacock
by Ember Ardent Flame
Summary: Kyandi Coffman is just a normal girl. ... Okay, so that was a lie. Kyandi Coffman is an otome-playing otaku with a perverted sense of humor that could very well rival that of everyone's favorite green-haired alien. What's more? Kyandi Coffman just became a Mew Mew. With a girl like this in the mix, things are about to get a lot more interesting... and entertaining. K X OC, M X OC
1. A Very Special Day

**Author: This fan-fiction inserts itself into the timeline after episode 23. This is after the discovery of Mew Aqua, but before the battle of Tokyo Tower.**

* * *

Kyandi Coffman walked to school in her grey, sailor suit uniform. Her caramel brown hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and her crystal blue eyes sparkled with mischief. Today, she was going to walk right up to the captain of the kendo club and flirt with him. She would string him along for a day or two, and then laugh in his face if he asked her out. Why? It was fun, of course. Kyandi loved messing with guys. As a matter of fact, Kyandi Coffman loved pranks of any kind. However, nothing quite compared to being a flirtatious tease. She got her amusement; overconfident guys got a lesson in humility. It was a win-win situation. Everyone got something out of it.

Kyandi Coffman was so engrossed in her plans for today's entertainment that she didn't notice the ground beginning to rumble. When she did realize it, it was too late, and she was thrown forward onto the pavement. Or was it… through the pavement?

Here she was, in a strange blue world of bubbles. _"What the heck?" _Kyandi thought as she floated around in the bubbly oblivion. She looked down. _"Wait, am I naked? Ah. I must have passed out, and this is a dream. It must be one of_ those _dreams. Nice. I wonder who the lucky guy is."_

Her question was answered when a peacock appeared, its tail beautifully displayed. _"A… bird? I'll have to admit, that wasn't what I was expecting. This had better not be one of those dreams if my subconscious expects me to... you know… with a peacock. Oh! Peacock! I get it! You bad little subconscious, you." _Kyandi laughed as the bird got nearer. She reached out her hands and grabbed it, and the peacock folded his tail gracefully behind him. She hugged the bird close to her chest and enjoyed the warm sensation that spread over her body. It definitely felt like one of _those_ dreams.

Kyandi was surprised by how much she just enjoyed hugging the bird. She squeezed it tighter, and tighter still. The bird made no noise and no struggle, and this made Kyandi happy. She hugged the peacock close to her, and then suddenly, the bird vanished. She was shocked and hurt. She could still feel the presence of the warm little creature. It flowed out from her heart and through all of her veins, like liquid love. The only thing that seemed to matter now was her heartbeat, as it slowly echoed throughout this realm. Thump. Thump. Thump.

* * *

Kyandi Coffman woke up on the sidewalk. Picking herself up and dusting herself off, she shook her head. _"That was the weirdest dream I've ever had, and that's saying something."_ As she bent to pick up her fallen school bag, she noticed a pink mark on her wrist. _"Huh. I must have scraped my arm when I fell. Stupid earthquake. This is one thing that I really hate about Japan."_ Clutching the handle to her bag in her hand, Kyandi started to continue on her way to school.

Suddenly, she was assaulted from behind. Her assailants covered her eyes with their hands and giggled. "Happy anniversary!" a familiar voice cooed into her ear.

Kyandi smiled. "Awe, Miku-chan, you remembered!" Kyandi had now been living in Tokyo, Japan for an entire year. She had moved here from America exactly one year ago and started attending Okamura Junior High. It was then that she had met Mikuru Kaho and Yuki Yagakina. Kyandi wouldn't exactly call these girls friends, but they were better than nothing.

Mikuru and Yuki released Kyandi and came around to stand in front of her. Yuki smiled, with her blonde hair and green eyes shining in the sunlight. Mikuru wore a smirk that also glinted in her brown eyes, and her black hair was pulled up into two short pigtails.

"We got you something," Yuki grinned.

"Aw! Really, you guys?" Kyandi asked gleefully. "You didn't have to, you know."

"Oh, please," Mikuru rolled her eyes. "We aren't the type of people to let our friends go without on a very special day."

"Yeah?" Kyandi cast her blue eyes to the sidewalk, feeling guilty for a moment. She quickly got over it though, figuring that it wasn't her fault if these people called a person that they barely knew a "friend".

"Here!" Yuki handed her a tiny, green bag.

"Thanks," Kyandi replied with a smile. She pulled out the tissue paper and removed the gift from the gift bag. "No way! It's a 2500 yen iTunes card! Now I can finally buy Alan's story on the Pirates in Love otome app. Yes!" Kyandi did a fist pump. **(1)**

Yuki sweat-dropped. "Kyandi-chan, you are such a hentai otaku."

"Aw!" Mikuru cooed. "But she's our little hentai otaku, Yuki!" The oldest girl squeezed her brown eyes shut and hugged a blushing Kyandi.

"Okay!" Kyandi exclaimed. "We should get to school. We don't want to be late. Sensei will be angry."

"Aiyah!" Yuki exclaimed. "She's right. We need to go! Ikiyou!" **(2)**

Mikuru laughed, and then all three girls began to run as fast as they could. Kyandi was surprised to find that today she was outrunning the other two. She was usually the one that lagged behind, panting and gasping for breath. She smiled and laughed, her caramel colored hair streaming behind her in the breeze. "Come on, slowpokes! You know something is wrong with you today if I'm outrunning you."

"Please!" Mikuru panted. "We're letting you win because of what day it is."

"Keep telling yourself that," Kyandi giggled as she continued to run.

* * *

Later that day, during lunch, Kyandi tapped away on her iPhone to redeem the card that her friends had gotten her. Meanwhile, Mikuru and Yuki stared daggers at a redhead across the room.

"Momomiya Ichigo," Mikuru growled to no one in particular, "you are my eternal rival. You are not worthy of Aoyama Masaya. You are a horrible, ugly airhead."

Yuki nodded. "I don't understand why he even goes out with her. I am so much smarter than her. I'm even prettier than her! He should be with me."

Kyandi rolled her eyes. "Yuki, guys like it when girls act stupid. It makes them feel smart, even though they're not. It's why I only date otome characters." Both of the other girls just ignored Kyandi's statement.

"Oh no!" Mikuru sounded absolutely disgusted. "He's kissing her. Her! How dare he? He knows that I'm the perfect girl for him."

Kyandi finally looked up from her phone. She spared a glance toward the hated couple and snorted when Mikuru's definition of 'kissing' was Masaya blowing a single kiss to Ichigo, causing the redhead to blush."You guys want me to walk over to the kendo players and see if I can dish up some dirt?" Kyandi asked.

Yuki's face brightened considerably. "Would you, Kyandi-chan?" The blonde stared at her with pleading green eyes.

"Sure," Kyandi nodded, sliding her phone into her school bag. She stood up and smiled. "I wanted to go mess with Chobichi Yuta-san's head anyway."

Mikuru's eyes widened. "Chobichi Yuta-san? The captain of the kendo team?"

"Hai," Kyandi replied with a smirk. **(3)** "Watch and learn, ladies."

With that, Kyandi walked over to the group of kendo fighters, making sure that her shoes clicked and her hips swayed. She smiled sweetly and tapped Yuta Chobichi on the shoulder. "Yuta-kun," she said, purposefully using the less formal greeting.

Yuta was very shocked, and turned around, meeting Kyandi's blue eyes with his violet ones. "Coffman-san? Why have you addressed me so informally?"

Kyandi grinned and leaned over to whisper into his ear. "I think you know why, Yuta-kun."

Yuta turned his head toward her, trying to look her in the eye. But it didn't work, as she was too close to him. He ended up staring straight into her hair, and she turned her head to face him, causing their noses to almost touch. "D-Do I?" he stuttered.

"Mm," Kyandi answered with a raise of her eyebrows.

"A-Ano…" Yuta trailed off. **(4)**

Kyandi leaned back onto the table quite suddenly, pulling her face away from Yuta's, not noticing that the edge of her sleeves slid up as she did this. But someone else noticed.

Ichigo Momomiya stared at the mark on Kyandi Coffman's wrist. _"Impossible. Shirogane-san said that there would only be five of us…"_

Kyandi smirked as Yuta tried to close the space between them. It was natural for people to resist sudden change, so he was trying to resolve the sudden change in distance. "Coffman-san," he began, "would you maybe want to go ou-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kyandi rolled off of the table and landed gracefully on her feet. "Sayonara, Chobichi-san." **(5)** She purposefully switched back to the formal address and walked away from the table, but she was stopped by the tug of a small, soft hand. She turned around and found herself face to face with Ichigo Momomiya. That was odd. She had been expecting Yuta.

"Konichiwa, Coffman Kyandi-san. Watashi wa Momomiya Ichigo-san," she greeted with a smile. **(6)**

"Okay…" Kyandi replied with a questioning look.

"I want to know, do you want to hang out after school? I know this great café that we could go to!" the redhead requested.

"_So _Ichigo_ is asking me out? This is weird. But I might as well accept. If I can come between her and Aoyama Masaya, Yuki and Miru-chan would be thrilled. I don't roll that way, but she doesn't have to know that. Gosh. I can't believe that _Momomiya Ichigo _is bisexual! Does her boyfriend know this?"_ Kyandi thought as she stared at Ichigo in disbelief.

"Sure," she replied, the stunned look still on her face. "So… where should we meet after school?"

"Meet me at the entrance to Inohara Park," Ichigo instructed.

"Okie dokie," Kyandi responded. "I'll see you then."

Heading back to Yuki and Mikuru, Kyandi shook her head. "You guys are never going to believe this."

"What? What happened?" they asked, leaning forward with sparkling eyes.

"Momomiya Ichigo asked me out," she answered.

"NANI?" Mikuru and Yuki exclaimed. **(7)**

Kyandi nodded. "We're meeting at Inohara Park later. The stuff I do for you guys and your hopeless delusions…"

"Oh, Kyandi-chan!" Yuki grinned. "You are a true friend, coming between the man of my dreams and the woman that he thinks he loves."

"Finally! Aoyama Masaya will be all mine!" Mikuru said with a devilish smile.

"Congratulations…" Kyandi said with sarcasm.

"Arigato!" Mikuru smiled sweetly. **(8)**

* * *

**Author: Here are the explanations behind the numbering system, for anyone with questions.**

**1) Otome is a type of Japanese electronic dating simulation game.**

2) "**Ikiyou" is Japanese for "Let's go"**

3) "**Hai" is Japanese for "Yes"**

4) "**Ano" is Japanese for "Um"**

5) "**Sayonara" is Japanese for "Good-bye"**

**6) Ichigo's entire dialogue here translates into "Hello, Kyandi Coffman. I am Ichigo Momomiya."**

7) "**Nani" is a Japanese exclamation from the word "nan", which means "what". "Nani" most nearly means, "WHAAAT?"**

8) "**Arigato" translates into "Thank you".**


	2. A Brand New Mew

Kyandi stood at the gate of Inohara Park and waited. This was certainly not what she was expecting to happen today.

Ichigo was late, so Kyandi pulled out her iPhone and played more "Pirates in Love". She was very excited about Alan's story, and had just gotten to the part where they were trapped in a cave. Alan was sniffing the jacket she had just been wearing and saying, "You smell so good!" Her in-game character replied in disgust, but Kyandi exhaled in content. How could she explain that she found that romantic? _"I really am a hentai otaku…"_ she thought to herself. She saved her game and put the iPhone away after a while.

Ichigo showed up, crawling out of some nearby bushes with leaves in her hair. Kyandi raised an eyebrow. _"Yeah, now even I'm wondering what Aoyama Masaya is thinking."_

"Momomiya-san, what were you doing in the bushes?"

Ichigo snapped her head up. "Coffman-san! You're here already?" The redhead blushed.

"Yeah… that I am," Kyandi replied. "You still haven't answered my question."

"I wasn't doing anything!" Ichigo exclaimed very quickly. It was entirely too suspicious.

Kyandi narrowed her eyes. "Shall we go to this café?"

"Hai!" Ichigo nodded, standing and brushing leaves from her school uniform.

* * *

Upon arriving at the café, Kyandi almost hurled. "It's… pink."

"Isn't it the cutest?" Ichigo asked with a smile.

"Pink is the color of barf…" Kyandi responded. Ichigo sweat-dropped.

* * *

Inside the café, Ichigo ran towards a pair of double doors. "I have to go change, Kyandi. This is Midorikawa Retasu," she gestured to a girl with green hair and glasses in a green maid uniform. "You can talk to her while I get dressed."

Kyandi pursed her lips before walking over to Retasu Midorikawa. "Hello, I'm Coffman Kyandi-san. It is nice to meet you, Midorikawa Retasu." Kyandi bowed, her caramel brown ponytail bouncing as she did.

"K- Konichiwa," Retasu replied. "It is nice to meet you too." She also bowed. Both girls rose from their bows, and Retasu asked, "So what brings you here with Ichigo-san today?"

"We're on a date," Kyandi answered.

"W-What?" Retasu's eyes widened behind her glasses, and she went pale. "I didn't know that Ichigo-san was… that she did… u-um…" The girl with the green hair blushed.

Ichigo came out dressed in a red maid outfit. Retasu turned to her friend. "Ichigo-san, why are you dating Coffman-san?"

"EH? I'm not!" Ichigo waved her arms around wildly. "I'm in love with Aoyama-kun! And I don't like girls in that way." She turned to Kyandi. "I'm very sorry; Coffman-san, I don't see you that way. I'm sorry if you feel that I misled you. That was never my intention! I did not mean it in that way. I-"

"It's okay, Momomiya-san. I didn't see you that way either. I just wasn't exactly sure how to tell you…" Kyandi replied.

"Oh, okay. I'm so relieved," Ichigo sighed.

"So why is she here today?" Retasu asked.

"Ano…" Ichigo tapped her chin. "I actually have to introduce her to Shirogane-san for something."

"Shirogane-san?" Retasu wondered in confusion.

"Hai," Ichigo replied before taking Kyandi's hand and dragging her toward the kitchen. "Let's go, Coffman-san."

* * *

In the kitchen, a man with a long, brown ponytail stood next to a counter and iced a cake. "Akasaka-san," Ichigo asked him, "where is Shirogane-san?"

"Right behind you, dimwit," said a voice.

Ichigo jumped and whirled around to find Ryou Shirogane leaning against the kitchen wall, right next to the door. Luckily, she had let go of Kyandi's wrist so that the poor girl didn't get her arm torn off. "Shirogane Ryou-san! Don't scare me like that!" Ichigo hollered.

"I'm the boss here, not you," replied the blue-eyed blond. Kyandi drank in the sight of him with her eyes. And here she had thought that boys only looked that good in otome games. "Who is this?" he asked Ichigo, while looking at the girl who was eyeballing him.

"This is Coffman Kyandi-san. She goes to my school, and she has a very interesting _mark_ on her right wrist."

"I do?" Kyandi pulled up her sleeve and looked. There, on her wrist, was a pink mark in the shape of a heart with a crown around it. "Holy crap! Would you look at that? I thought that was a scrape."

Ryou raised his eyebrows. "You found her already? I just infused her this morning."

"Why?" Ichigo asked.

"Infused me? W-With what?" Kyandi looked at this stranger with a bit of apprehension now. She wasn't entirely sure what infusion was, but for some reason her mind plummeted straight into the gutter. "What did you do to me, you perverted freak?"

Ryou looked surprised. "Ichigo, I figured that since the aliens had increased their numbers, we might as well do the same. And you," He glared at Kyandi. "Why are you calling me perverted? You don't even know what we're talking about. Where has your mind gone to?"

Kyandi blushed. "That… is… none of your business," she muttered. Then, opting out of Japanese in order to insult him, she spoke in English. "And you probably are perverted. All of the hot guys are." She assumed that he wouldn't understand.

"Do you know that I spent the first part of my life in America?" Ryou asked in perfect English.

Kyandi's mouth dropped to the floor, but she recovered quickly by pasting on a smile. "Really?" she switched back to Japanese. "That's something that we have in common."

"I know," he responded. "I know everything about you, Kyandi Coffman." Though he was speaking Japanese, he said her name like an American.

"Well, that's kinda creepy," Kyandi said aloud. _"And it's also kind of hot."_ She kept that thought to herself.

Ryou laughed. "I know that you have type O-positive blood. I know that you frequently buy otome apps from iTunes. And, I know that you have a higher testosterone level in your body than most women."

"_Nope. Now it's just creepy,"_ she surmised. _"That testosterone thing is supposed to be my secret. It's the reason why I have to wax my lip, and also why I seem to be more… _flirtatious_ than other girls."_

"Shirogane-san?" Ichigo asked hesitantly.

Ryou looked at her crossly. "What are you still doing here? We have customers! Go do your job."

Ichigo humphed and left the room.

After watching her leave, Ryou turned back to Kyandi. "You have so much testosterone, in fact, that I had to fuse you with the male version of your animal. All of the other girls have been infused with the DNA from a female animal, but your peacock was a male. However, I am getting ahead of myself. You should come down to the basement with me so that I can better explain things."

"Hold up," Kyandi put up her hands in a 'stop' gesture. "I don't go into basements with strange guys. You never know what could happen."

He chuckled. "Of course. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Shirogane Ryou-san."

Kyandi scanned him with her eyes once again before nodding. "Okay. Good to know. Now where's the basement?"

Ryou was taken a bit aback. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself to me?"

Kyandi moved closer to him and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "Now why would I do that when you already know everything about me?"

Ryou shivered at her breath on his ear. His Mew Mew team was made up of all types. Ichigo was a vain airhead. Minto was a rich snob. Retasu was a wallflower. Bu-Ling was a wild ball of energy. Zakuro was an aloof celebrity. And now, here was Kyandi, the perverted otaku. Ryou sighed in anxiety before turning and leading said otaku to the basement door.

* * *

After explaining to Kyandi about aliens and Mew Mews and the café, Ryou had handed Kyandi a pendant and a café uniform. The girl with the caramel hair was grinning from ear to ear. "So I'm kind of like a magical girl from an anime?" she asked. Ryou flinched at her comparison, but nodded. "And what animal am I infused with again?"

"The green peacock," he replied.

She kept smiling. "This… is so cool."

Ryou grinned slightly. "You're the only other one besides Bu-Ling to be excited about it. Most of the girls thought that it was horrible. Retasu started destroying her school at night. Zakuro almost joined our enemy! I'm pleased that I won't have to worry about this with you."

"Are you kidding?" Kyandi laughed. "You just gave me super powers. I have been dreaming about this day ever since I was a little kid! The only thing that's horrible is that the aliens aren't friendly. I would hug you right now, but it might be a bit awkward."

Ryou cast her a sideways glance. "Go upstairs and ask Retasu to show you to the employee locker room. You start work today."

Kyandi nodded and ran upstairs with her teal café uniform in her arms. After being directed to the changing room and getting dressed, she pulled out her phone and texted her dad. "I got a job today. They want me to start right away, so I'll be home late." Then, Kyandi Coffman went to work.

* * *

After about ten minutes of Kyandi being trained for her job by Ichigo, the brunette man came out of the kitchen and apologized, saying that they would have to close the café early due to some disrepair with the ovens. The customers moaned and exited the building. Kyandi was confused, until she saw Ichigo reach her hand into her pocket and pull out a shiny, golden object. So, Kyandi also retrieved her own pendant.

As soon as the customers were gone, Ichigo kissed her pendant and shouted, "Mew Mew Strawberry, METAMORPHOSIS!"

Kyandi looked around her as all of the other waitresses did something similar.

The blue-uniformed girl – who had mostly been sitting and drinking tea – shouted, "Mew Mew Mint, METAMORPHOSIS!"

Retasu shouted, "Mew Mew Lettuce, METAMORPHOSIS!"

A young girl in an orange uniform called out, "Mew Mew Pudding, METAMORPHOSIS!"

A teenager in a purple uniform – who oddly resembled a famous model – kissed her pendant and shouted, "Mew Mew Zakuro, METAMORPHOSIS!"

So, Kyandi shrugged and kissed the golden charm that she held in her hand. The words came out of nowhere. "Mew Mew Candy, METAMORPHOSIS!"

Kyandi was thrown into a world of a bluish-green light. It seemed as though she were riding on a strong current of air that pushed on the entire anterior half of her body, lifting her up and leaving her staring down into a teal-colored space. _"Oh,"_ she noted, _"I'm naked again." _ Suddenly, ribbons of something that she couldn't name came and wrapped themselves around her upper arms and her right thigh, creating arm bands and a garter. A ribbon wrapped around her right wrist, covering up her mew mark, and creating a ribbon-like bracelet. Then, she was flipped so that her feet were pointed down, rather than her face. Ankle-high boots appeared on said feet.

Sparkling lights zoomed toward her and landed on her body, creating an outfit. It was a dress. The top of it was made like tube top, and the entire dress hugged her snugly until one-third of the way down her thigh. It opened in a diamond-shape over her stomach, exposing her belly button and part of her abdomen. The entire ensemble was teal.

Her hair turned dark green and swirled up into a twisted up-do on the back of her head, a peacock feather sticking out from the middle of the up-do. Her eyes became a dark, sapphire blue. And out from her posterior sprung a large, fanning peacock tail. The light cleared away, and she stood transformed, as Mew Candy, on the café floor.


	3. Get Your Fight On

Mew Candy squealed in delight. "Oh my gosh, I look awesome! I was worried that I might end up wearing some weird, poufy skirt that makes my butt look big. But this dress is not like that at all. Look how tight this thing is!" She wiggled her butt back and forth and seemed to notice her tail for the first time. "Holy crap!" she grinned from ear to ear. "These feathers are taller than me!"

"No they're not," snapped an annoyed Ryou, coming from the kitchen and carrying a laptop. "They just appear that way because they sprout from the middle of your body."

Mew Candy raised a green eyebrow. "You can say 'butt.' It's not like I don't know that you were looking at it anyway."

Ryou just continued to walk over to a table. He set the laptop down on the tabletop and opened it. "Gather around, everyone."

The other Mews obeyed, so Candy walked over with a shrug. Her peacock tail folded inward, and then down, looking like a feathery train attached to the back of her dress. She leaned over one of Ryou's shoulders and stared at the computer screen. It was covered with little blue dots, and a few red ones. "These are Chimera Animas," Ryou pointed to the red dots. "They're getting too close to this deposit of would could be Mew Aqua." Ryou touched a blue dot on the screen.

"Excuse me," Candy spoke up. "'What could be Mew Aqua.'? You don't know for sure?"

Ryou glanced at her in annoyance before explaining, "Mew Aqua is too complex to be properly identified."

"But everything on the periodic table of elements can be properly identified!" Candy protested.

"Mew Aqua isn't on the periodic table of elements," Ryou explained peevishly. "It's an alien substance."

"But earlier, you told me that it was basically crystalized water in its purest form… which really doesn't make sense, because crystalized water in its purest form would actually be ice… but still-"

"We don't really know what it is," Ryou interrupted her in frustration, "so we call it water because it looks like water! So will you please? Shut up!"

Candy was silent for a long minute. But then… "If Mew Aqua is an alien substance, I really don't understand why you're trying to prevent them from taking something that belongs to them."

Ryou was on the verge of exploding at something that Candy wasn't even aware that she had implied. That was when Zakuro stepped in. "According to the aliens, this planet belongs to them as well," she explained quietly.

"Ah," Candy had a light bulb moment. "That's a good point. I see."

Ryou calmed down and continued to explain. "Anyways, these Chimeras are entirely too close to something that we can't allow them to have. Mew Mews, the world is counting on you to stop them."

Candy snorted. "The world? Really? The whole world depends on this one thing? I highly doubt that. Aren't you being a bit melodramatic?"

Ryou growled. "Just go and take her with you."

"Minah-san, ikiyou!" Mew Strawberry called. **(1) **She ran for the front door, and all of the other Mews followed her, including Candy.

As they ran out of the door and into Inohara Park, Candy was concerned about her secret identity. _"Oh sure. No one's going to notice the superheroes running out of the giant, pink café that's shaped like a castle," _she thought sarcastically.

As they ran, Mew Mint laughed. "I've never seen Shirogane-san get so riled up. He doesn't even yell at Ichigo _that_ much."

"And we all know that Shirogane-oniichan only yells at Ichigo-oneechan because he likes her, na-no-da," Mew Pudding supplied.

"Nani?" Mew Strawberry chirped. "He does not, Pudding!"

"Well," Mew Candy retorted, "if he thinks that yelling at me is going to turn me on, he has another think coming. If anybody in a relationship is going to be doing any yelling, it's going to be me. _I'm_ the one that's going to be cracking the proverbial whip. And maybe, if he's lucky, the literal whip." Candy winked.

Blushing, Mew Lettuce stumbled and nearly tripped. Mew Zakuro's eyes widened. Mew Mint just laughed while Mew Strawberry called Candy gross. Mew Pudding frowned. "I don't get it, na-no-da."

"You're lucky," Mew Strawberry snapped before leaping off the roof of one building to land on top of another. The other Mews followed suit.

"Shirogane doesn't know what he's gotten into this time," Mint said with a smile.

"Candy-san!" Lettuce's outburst of dismay was a little late due to her shock at Candy's perverted suggestion.

Zakuro finally spoke. "We're here."

Down below, a Chimera Anima rammed its way down the sidewalk. Two more were following it. They looked like scary versions of sheep.

"Oh man," Mew Candy joked with a grin, "the aliens must have insomnia or something if they needed sheep to count." All of the other Mews stared at her like she was insane. Candy grimaced and crossed her arms. "Tough crowd."

"What's 'insomnia' na-no-da?" asked Pudding.

"It's not important," Zakuro told her. "Strawberry, should we attack?"

"I don't know," Mew Strawberry replied, the breeze tousling her pink waves of hair. "There are a lot of people down there. We don't want to hurt anyone."

"Oh sure," Candy began caustically, "because it's not like they're already being injured by killer sheep or anything."

"Candy has a point," Mint crossed her arms. "Strawberry, what should we do?"

The pink Mew leader nodded. "Okay! Mint, Pudding and I will clear away the people by telling them to please move so that they don't get injured. Zakuro, Lettuce, and Candy can attack the Chimeras."

"Wait!" Candy exclaimed. "How do I attack?"

"Don't worry," the cat-mew replied. "Words will come to you in your heart. Just shout them out."

"Okay…." Candy mumbled in disbelief.

"Everybody," shouted Zakuro, "split up!"

The girls prepared to go about their tasks, but before they could do anything…

"Konichiwa, koneko-chan," said a sickeningly sinister voice. Out of nowhere, a person that looked like the offspring of an elf and a vampire appeared. "I knew that you Mew Mews would show up." He smiled and his fangs glinted in the sunlight. His green hair was tousled by the breeze. "You see, Pai? I was right."

A person who might have been this other one's brother appeared next to him, holding a fan. His hair and eyes were purple. "Yes, Kisshu, I see. And it even appears that they have a new ally."

"Oh yeah," said the one called Kisshu. "Would you look at that?"

"Um… Who are these people?" asked a confused Mew Candy.

"Aliens!" Mint exclaimed.

"But I thought that those sheep things were aliens…" Candy trailed off.

"Those are Chimera Animas, na-no-da," explained Pudding. "They are kind of like the aliens' pets, na-no-da."

"Those are some ugly pets…" Mew Candy mumbled under her breath. The purple alien frowned.

"Kisshu!" yelled Mew Strawberry. "For hurting innocent people, I will make you pay!"

Kisshu smirked, his golden eyes twinkling in delight. He had finally thought of the perfect comeback for that line that she always used. "Oh, alright, kitten. I suppose that I could pay you with… my body." A wicked grin spread across his face.

The first five Mews all glared up at the perverted alien. "Stop kidding around!" Strawberry shouted. "For the future of Earth, I will be of service."

"Oh yes," Kisshu purred sensually. "Serve me, kitten. Be my slave. After all, my people are the future of Earth!" His grin stretched from pointed ear to pointed ear.

All of the Mews began hurling insults at him. All of them, that is, excepting Candy. Mew Candy had tried to fight the thing that was bubbling up inside of her, but she just couldn't contain it any longer. Both the Mews and the aliens stared at her like she was insane as she burst into hysterics. Mew Candy laughed so hard that she nearly fell over. Her tail fanned out in delight.

Mew Strawberry seemed a bit insulted, "Why are you laughing?"

Lettuce was concerned. "Are you alright, Candy-san?"

"Gomen, gomen," **(2)** Candy coughed out between laughs. "He was just…. So…. Funny!"

Kisshu raised his eyebrows. "Are you laughing at me, peacock?"

At his address, Candy immediately ceased laughing. "Maybe…" She cocked her head to the side in a playful manner.

The alien smiled and seemed pleased by this. "Look at that, Pai. It's about time that one of these Mew Mews appreciated my sense of humor."

"Candy!" Strawberry growled. "Don't encourage him!"

"Oh, please, Strawberry," Candy rolled her eyes. "You do realize that he's only saying these things to make you mad, right? If you just laugh at it, then he can't manipulate you. You're being way too uptight."

"Up- Uptight?" Mew Strawberry choked.

Then Pai spoke. "We aren't here to have an amiable chat. FUU RAI SENN!" He swung his fan, and suddenly a whirlwind knocked Mint, Lettuce and Zakuro over.

"Ah!" Strawberry screamed. "We have to rethink our plan." Mint, Zakuro and Lettuce got to their feet.

"Oh no," Candy complained. "It took you long enough the first time." The peacock mew flinched when a pair of sai swords appeared in Kisshu's hands. "Alright!" Candy started shouting orders. "Mint and Pudding, go and clear the people from the streets. Strawberry and Zakuro, fight the sheep monsters. Lettuce and I will take care of these two." The peacock girl's tail reassumed its folded position. It was time for business.

Mint and Pudding didn't hesitate to obey. They leapt off the edge of the building and down to the streets below. Strawberry stood still for a moment, debating whether or not she should relinquish her authority to Candy for this battle. Zakuro stood by and waited for her leader's decision. The cat-mew finally nodded and leapt from the building, with her wolf teammate close behind. Lettuce was already in combat with Pai.

"Wait for me, Strawberry," Kisshu crooned as he began to fly toward the pink mew.

"Oh no you don't!" Candy shouted. Again, the words came out of nowhere. "Candy Harp!" A small harp appeared in the peacock mew's left hand. This was her weapon. Now, she had to attack. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" The fingers of her right hand traveled deftly over the harp strings, and a sudden wind rose up and slammed Kisshu in the gut, causing him to fall to the rooftop.

"You!" he groaned as he got to his feet. "I'll make you pay for that."

She grinned and imitated his line from earlier. "I suppose that I can pay you with my body."

His anger dissolved and he chuckled. "Oh, you wouldn't like that. I play rough with my toys."

"What a coincidence," Candy raised her eyebrows. "I'm exactly the same way. Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" A burst of wind slammed into Kisshu again, and he crossed his arms over his face. He was pushed back about three feet. Mew Candy laughed. "I love it. My attack is that I get to blow people."

Kisshu regained his ground and rushed at her again.

"Seriously?" Candy grinned. "You want more? Well, I guess that can't be helped. I am irresistible, after all."

"Shut up!" Kisshu growled. He shot forth a sai-wielding hand, but Candy managed to jump out of the way.

"Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" she shouted. Kisshu was blown four feet back, almost tumbling over backwards. "What?" Candy bantered. "You don't like being on the receiving end of such comments? You can dish it out, but you can't take it? What a hypocrite!"

* * *

**Author: **

1) "**Minah" is Japanese for "everyone".**

2) "**Gomen" is Japanese for "sorry".**


	4. Masquerade

Kisshu stood up. He was done fighting this annoying new Mew. With a smirk, he teleported to Mew Strawberry's side. "Hello kitten!" he exclaimed.

Strawberry squealed at his sudden appearance and misfired her Strawberry Bell. The energy surge from her weapon nearly hit Zakuro in the face, but the wolf-girl managed to duck out of the way in time.

"Did I surprise you, kitty?" Kisshu asked, moving closer to the pink-haired girl.

"Hey! Elf perv!" shouted a voice from the top of the building. "I wasn't finished with you yet!" Mew Candy dove off the side of the building with her peacock tail splayed open in anger.

"Tsk," Kisshu sighed. "Now Mew Candy, why do you follow me around like this? Could it be that you find me so attractive that you can't help yourself?"

Candy landed on the ground, on her feet. "Are you an actual, three-dimensional being?" she asked.

Kisshu looked confused, but answered, "Yes."

"Then don't worry," Candy retorted. "I don't find you attractive. Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!"

Kisshu was shocked by her words before being pummeled by a surge of air. He stood up and dusted himself off. "Denial is not the ans-" but he never finished his sentence.

"Ribbon! STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!" Kisshu was smacked in the face by a beam of light. Mew Strawberry was getting revenge for his earlier comments.

Candy shrugged and directed her attention to the one remaining sheep Chimera. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" A burst of wind hit the Chimera, and it dissolved into a sheep and a flying jellyfish. A pink, furry thing flew by and ate the jellyfish. Candy figured that the little thing was on the same side as she was, since it didn't try to attack her.

"We finished our task, na-no-da!" yelled a cheerful voice as Mews Pudding and Mint came into sight.

With the Chimera Animas gone and the street successfully cleared of innocent by-standers, all of the Mews could now focus on the aliens. Pai appeared next to Kisshu. "We're severely outnumbered. Let's go."

Kisshu grunted in discontent, and both aliens teleported away.

Mint, Pudding and Strawberry celebrated as Zakuro stood by with an ominous expression. Lettuce jumped off of the roof and landed on the ground, panting from the exertion of her battle with Pai. Candy stood there with her hands on her hips. "That was it? That was way too easy. It was kind of boring, don't you think?"

All of the other Mews looked at her with various expressions of disapproval. "Do not desire a fight to become more difficult," Zakuro said solemnly. "Otherwise, you may get your wish."

Candy raised an eyebrow. _"I guess wolf-girl has a point…"_ But of course, she wasn't going to admit that.

* * *

Back at the café, the girls gathered around a table. "Good job, everyone," Keiichiro Akasaka told them. "Have some tea."

Minto smiled and sat down. "Thank you, I will."

Each of the other girls sat down to partake of the hot beverage. But again, Kyandi was the exception to the rule. "I'll pass," she said. "I really have to get home."

"But this was your first battle," Ichigo's eyebrows formed an upside-down V. "Don't you want to celebrate your first victory?"

Kyandi tried to disguise the worries in the back of her mind with a cold quip. "Not really. I'm more of a coffee person, anyway."

"Well you don't have to be so mean about it!" Ichigo huffed.

Kyandi just headed for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." She didn't even bother to look over her shoulder as she left.

* * *

"Kisshu," Pai called his adopted brother over to him.

"Yes?" the green-haired alien asked.

"I have an assignment for you."

"And that is?" Kisshu asked impatiently. Pai always took too long to explain everything. Why couldn't he just say everything right away? Why did he always wait for a response before continuing?

"I need you to spy on Mew Candy," the science-minded alien replied.

"Nani?" Kisshu sputtered, his golden eyes wide. Then, catching a hint of some strange vibe from his brother, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why?"

"I have been trying to determine our enemies' weaknesses. Because of this, I have permitted you to follow around Mew Strawberry like an obsessed teenager. I have also permitted Taruto his leisure with Mew Pudding. Meanwhile, I have spied on Mews Lettuce and Zakuro myself." Pai paused to make that he still had Kisshu's attention. His brothers both had pretty short attention spans.

"Go on," Kisshu growled in annoyance.

"I have already reassigned Taruto to spy on Mew Mint, as we have realized that Mew Pudding's weaknesses are her siblings and the woman that she calls 'Sensei'." Pai explained. "Unfortunately, I have come nowhere close to discovering the weaknesses of Lettuce or Zakuro."

"And this concerns me and my koneko-chan how?" Kisshu responded peevishly.

Pai turned and looked at Kisshu. "It is painfully obvious that the pink mew's weakness is that human boy over whom she always obsesses. Also, putting her friends in jeopardy would work as well. We have all of the needed information about Mew Strawberry. However, Mew Candy is an unexpected variable in our equation. We have no intel about her at all. For us to be victorious in the end, this fact has to change. Do you understand me, Kisshu?"

Kisshu sighed in frustration. "So I have to watch the peacock mew and figure out how to beat her?"

"Exactly," Pai nodded in response.

"Ugh," Kisshu groaned. "Why me?"

"You're the only plausible option, Kisshu. You need to make yourself useful in order to ingratiate yourself to Deep Blue-sama again. Remember that your job as a warrior comes first. Pleasure activities are not a priority. If you want to help save our people, you will do the job that needs doing."

Kisshu frowned. "Fine." He sulkily crossed his arms over his chest and teleported off to who knows where.

Pai let out an exasperated sigh. _"That boy is going to have to keep his emotions in check. He's getting entirely too attached to that pink Mew Mew. Hopefully, this new assignment will nip those affections in the bud."_

* * *

Kyandi ran home as fast as she could. As soon as she opened the door to her house, an angry voice echoed off of the walls.

"Where the h*ll were you?" her father's shout reverberated in her ears.

"I told you, Dad. I got a job today. I was at work. Didn't you get my text?" She responded in as monotone a voice as she could, trying not to set him off. Even the tiniest hint of sarcasm would cause the ever volatile Mt. Dad to explode. He often heard 'tones' in her voice that were non-existent. Today was no exception.

"Don't you take that smart-*ss tone of voice with me, young lady!" he yelled. "I told you to be home by six. It is almost seven o'clock. That is unacceptable!"

Kyandi choked back the tears that had threatened to rise into her eyes. "Dad, it wasn't my fault! I had to-"

"Like h*ll, it wasn't your fault!" her father steamed. "If you're going to be late, you tell me. You _call_ me. You don't _text_ me. You and you alone are responsible for your actions, Kyandi. So don't give me any bullsh*t excuse!"

As he yelled, the tears that she had forced down had managed to well up again. _"Don't cry. Don't cry,"_ she told herself. But it was too late. The tears spilled over and quietly rolled down her cheeks. She didn't wail; her shoulders didn't rack with the emotional anguish that he was causing her. She had learned better than that.

"Are you crying?" he asked in a temperamental voice. "Kyandi, you're not a child anymore. You need to stop with that dumb sh*t."

"I have homework," she replied in a shaky voice before heading towards her bedroom.

"I wasn't finished talking to you, young lady! You get your *ss back in here, now!"

She ignored him and flung her school bag onto her bed. She slipped off her shoes and kicked them under her bedside table.

"Kyandi Coffman! I am giving you to the count of three to come out of that room, or I'm going to come down there and whip your *ss!"

Her heart leapt into her throat. _"No. Not again."_

"One!"

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and opened them again, trying to force the tears to stop.

"Two!"

She opened the door and glared at her feet before walking down the hallway.

"That's right," her father bellowed. "You do what I _tell you_! I won't let you pull any of that defiant teenager sh*t. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Kyandi choked out.

"Yes what?" he snarled.

Kyandi cleared her throat so that her voice was calm and even. "Yes, sir."

"Good," her father replied, placated for now. "Now go do your homework."

Kyandi turned away slowly. It took all of her self-control not to stomp down the hallway like an angry child. She went into her room and shut the door. _"Why does he treat me this way? I get excellent grades. I keep to myself. I've never even kissed a guy! Doesn't he know how lucky he is to have a daughter like me?" _She collapsed onto the bed and pulled out her science book. _"It's a good thing that I left the café when I did. If I had stayed longer, it might have been worse."_

This was the reason why Kyandi never had friends over; it was why she never made friends to invite over. She kept herself at a distance from everyone, not wanting them to see behind the happy smile. Her mask and her walls kept everyone out. She was like her father in that way: good at disguising how things really were.

Her mother had gotten sick of it and filed the divorce papers two years ago. The custody battles were ugly, as Kyandi was an only child. Her mother tried to convince the court of her father's verbal abuse, but had failed. Mr. Coffman was just too skilled at acting like everything was fine when it wasn't. He had won the custody battle when the judge had looked at all of the family's medical records and determined that her mother's health suffered too often for the woman to be a good guardian for Kyandi. The divorce trials had taken six months.

And six months after that, Mr. Coffman had carted his daughter off to Japan out of pure spite for his ex-wife, claiming that it was because of a huge promotion that his company had offered him. But Kyandi knew that he could have turned the promotion down and let them find somebody else for the job. Kyandi knew that her father had done this out of pure hatred.

She had discovered ways to deal with it. So many girls at her age, in her circumstance, would have turned to boys, giving themselves away in hopes of finding love and ending up pregnant or something. Kyandi was smarter than that. She had quickly realized that love was no less a fairytale than the Disney movies she once watched as a child. Love was a myth, a work of fiction that cruelly promised happiness and gave only pain. Love existed only in movies and otome games. In the real world, there was only lust and greed. But as fictional as this love was, she couldn't help but desire it. And so she found it in the games that she so often played.

None of these brief interludes was a reality. In truth, the characters that she became in these games were not who she really was. Or were they? Who was she, anyway? Kyandi often wondered this. She had so many masks. There was the cool and mysterious mask that she used around Yuki and Mikuru. There was the seductive and flirty mask that she used around boys. There was the mask of self-confidence that she used around everyone. These masks… Was anything underneath them? If her true nature were effaced for the world to see, what would it be?

In truth, Kyandi was no more than a frightened child that cowered in the corner and hoped that someone would come rescue her. She was no more than a wounded animal backed into a corner, angry at the world that would injure her so. She was nothing more than a skeptical teenager, standing in the corner, and daring love to prove that it exists.


	5. Burning Bridges

Two and a half hours later, her homework was finished. Kyandi reflected back on the events of the day, starting with the end and working her way back to the beginning.

Her dad was mean, as usual. Being a superhero was awesome, though. She finally had something that her father couldn't take away from her. That fact made her smile.

She thought about her new waitress job. It might prove harder than being a Mew Mew. Kyandi really didn't care too much for people. They were annoying. Having to serve them tea and cake would probably drive her up a wall.

She thought back to earlier that day, when she was ignorant of everything amazing that had suddenly become part of her life. She wasn't sure what to think about Yuki's remark from that morning. _"You are such a hentai otaku."_ She had heard that term before, but she wasn't entirely sure what it meant.

"_This sucks. I've lived in Japan for a year, and I still don't know what 'hentai' means. Hm… Maybe I should look it up."_

Kyandi pulled out her iPhone and brought up the internet. She typed the word "hentai" into the Google search bar. Tapping on the first article she saw, she read it, and…

"I AM NOT! I am _so_ not a hentai! Ewwww!" she squealed and pressed the back button ten times. Then she closed that window of her browser so that she would never have to think about it again. _"I know that Yuki was probably trying to hint at my twisted thought process, but I'm not _that_ bad. Ugh. I wonder what the right word is…"_ She brought up the internet again, and after scrolling for a bit, she found that the word that fit her better was "ecchi".

Knowing that now, Kyandi began to sulk. How dare Yuki call her a hentai? That was just gross! It was a total insult. _"I take crap from my dad because he's my parent, and I have to. But I don't have to take crap from anybody else! Tomorrow, Yuki and Mikuru and going to find out that they need to redefine their meaning of 'friend'."_

* * *

The next day, Kyandi ignored the two girls that tried to talk to her during her walk to school. She ignored them throughout the classes that they shared that day. It was only at lunch that she spoke to them.

"Kyandi-chan," Yuki began hesitantly, "what's wrong?"

"Yeah, Kyandi," Mikuru added in annoyance, "you haven't spoken to us all morning. What's your deal?"

"I'm not a hentai," Kyandi murmured.

"What?" Mikuru asked in confusion. "We didn't hear you. Speak up."

"I'm not hentai!" Kyandi yelled. "I'm ecchi!" Then, lowering her voice, she added, "I can't believe that you guys have been so severely insulting me this past year. I knew that you weren't really my friends."

"What are you talking about, Kyandi-chan?" Yuki whined. "Of course we're your friends!"

"No, you're not!" Kyandi retorted. "Friends don't treat friends like that." She turned her back on them, her long, caramel brown hair swishing with the motion. Then, she began to walk away.

"Kyandi-chan!" Yuki pleaded.

Kyandi stopped and glared over her shoulder. "That's 'Coffman-san'," she corrected, ending the familiarity that had formerly existed between them.

Yuki's chest began to heave, and she started to cry. Mikuru pulled the blonde girl into a hug, letting her cry on her shoulder, and returned Kyandi's glare.

Kyandi left the room and walked into the bathroom. Closing herself into one of the stalls, she sat down on the toilet and cried. _"I can't believe that they were being so mean to me. This entire time, they… They were making fun of me."_ She grunted (though her tear-filled voice made it sound more like a squeak) and punched the wall of the bathroom stall. _"I won't take their crap."_

The truth of the matter was (though Kyandi failed to realize it) she wasn't upset with Yuki and Mikuru at all. No, these suddenly shattered relationships were not the result of an accidental insult. Yuki and Mikuru were not at fault at all. Kyandi was doing what she had always done: burning bridges before they could burn her.

The consequence of seeing love as a myth meant that Kyandi believed in no kind of love at all: not romantic love, not friendly love, and definitely not family love. Kyandi was always cynical of others, never trusting that people truly cared for her. As far as she was concerned, the only person whom she could trust was herself. Everyone else was out to torment her for their own personal enjoyment. The world and the people in it existed solely to wound her, but it could only do so if she allowed it. So, whenever she felt herself becoming close to someone, she would betray them before they could betray her. It was her way of life. Kill or be killed. Hurt or be hurt. These were the only options. And Kyandi Coffman was smarter than to allow herself to be hurt.

No, Kyandi Coffman would never be hurt by anyone if she could help it. She would wall herself off from this world and laugh in its face. _"Try to get past these barriers,"_ she would say. But little did she know that as she built up these walls to keep others out, she was also barricading herself inside. Who was Kyandi Coffman? She didn't know. She had locked her away a long time ago.

* * *

After school, she headed towards the café. She pulled out her phone and called her father. He answered harshly, "What do you want? I'm busy."

"I'm just letting you know that I have work today, so that you won't worry about me. I'll be home as soon as it is over," Kyandi responded.

"Okay," Mr. Coffman replied. "But I'm much too busy for you to call me about stuff like this. Just text me."

Kyandi bit her lip. Hadn't he told her just last night to call instead of text? Now he was changing his mind? But she didn't say anything. She really didn't want to get yelled at over the phone. "Okay," was her answer. "Bye." She hung up.

* * *

Kisshu followed Ichigo from school to the café. Surely the girl would make contact with her newest ally at some point. Meanwhile, Kisshu was having fun spying on his little kitty. Hovering in the air above her with his invisibility shield up, he sighed wistfully. _"This will probably be the last time for a while. Stupid Pai. I don't understand why we have to know anything about the new Mew Mew at all. If we defeat the first five, we could surely overcome the last one by pure force."_ A wicked grin spread across Kisshu's face. _"As a matter of fact, if Ichigo doesn't meet up with this new girl within ten minutes, I'll just forget about Pai's little 'assignment' and do what I want."_ For the next five minutes, the green-haired alien had a very smug expression on his face. But it vanished when he heard Ichigo call out to someone.

"Coffman-san! Konbawa!" **(1)** Ichigo called.

Kisshu watched as a girl with caramel brown hair and light blue eyes looked back at the redhead who had said her name. "Momomiya-san…" the girl seemed surprised.

"You did a good job yesterday," Ichigo told her, catching up to the girl in front of her.

"Thanks," she replied.

Ichigo blushed. "He always gets me flustered, and it makes it hard for me to think. Do you really think that's what he's trying to do?"

"Oh yeah," the girl nodded decisively. "Either that, or he's actually trying to flirt with you."

Ichigo blushed even more, and Kisshu smiled at how cute she looked. "I hope that it's the former and not the latter," the redhead said.

"_Are they talking about me?"_ he wondered.

"Why?" asked the brown-haired girl, her face scrunching up in confusion. "It would be beneficial to have your enemy interested in you. You could string them along and get them to tell you stuff. It's like, the ultimate espionage."

"_Yes, they are,"_ Kisshu decided.

Ichigo shook her head. "No way! I'm not going to play with him like that, even if he is just…" Ichigo lowered her voice, "an _alien_."

Kisshu raised his eyebrows, unsure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult.

"I mean," Ichigo returned to her normal tone of voice, "he's _ugly_. And he's evil too."

"_Insult,"_ Kisshu decided. It took quite a bit of his self-control not to go down there and set her straight. His toy wasn't allowed to do anything but adore him.

"Now that's just a matter of opinion," the other girl retorted. "But then again, you are only expressing your opinion, so never mind."

Ichigo looked shocked. "What are you trying to imply, Kyandi-san?"

"We're on a first-name basis now?" Kyandi raised her eyebrows before shrugging. "Alright, fine."

"Kyandi-san, don't tell me that you think Kisshu is-"

"This isn't about me!" Kyandi exclaimed suddenly, interrupting Ichigo. Calming down, she added, "This is about you and what _you_ think."

Kisshu furrowed his brow. This new mew… liked him? Ugh. This was a problem. He wanted Mew Strawberry to like him, not Mew _Candy_.

"Well," Ichigo smiled, "what I think is that I really love Aoyama-kun." The redhead got a dopey smile on her face and proceeded to daydream.

Kyandi smiled. _"Crisis averted. People's favorite subject is always themselves."_

"Isn't Aoyama-kun just the greatest, Kyandi-san?" Ichigo asked her with a smile.

"Uh…" Kyandi looked Ichigo in the eye. Ichigo was the one of those types of people that she felt guilty lying to, so she decided to be honest. "He's not my type." Ichigo's face fell, so Kyandi quickly hurried to save the conversation. "It's probably a good thing. Half of the girls in school already hate you for going out with him. At least you don't have to worry about _me_ becoming your 'sworn rival' or anything as dumb as that. You wouldn't want me as competition," Kyandi winked. "I would win for sure."

"That's true…." Ichigo agreed. Then, with sudden intensity, the redhead glomped Kyandi into a hug. "This is great, Kyandi-chan!" she squealed.

"Ch-chan?" Kyandi flinched at the familiar honorific.

Ichigo didn't seem to notice. She just continued to squeeze Kyandi tightly. "We can be best friends! I can tell you all about how much I love Aoyama-kun, and you won't even be jealous! This is wonderful!"

"Yeah, fantastic," Kyandi groaned.

The redhead finally released Kyandi and stared dreamily into the clouds. "Maybe we can walk home together," Ichigo mused aloud. "We could talk a lot by doing that! And there will be safety in numbers if we ever have to go home when it's dark." Turning to Kyandi with a huge smile, Ichigo asked, "Where do you live?"

Kisshu listened intently. This was the information that he needed to know. After that, he could leave for a while.

Kyandi told Ichigo where she lived, and the redhead squealed loud enough to make her grimace. "That's great! That's only two blocks from my house."

"Really?" Kyandi asked, a strong sense of foreboding washing over her.

"Yes, it's on my way home," Ichigo nodded.

"Perfect," Kyandi muttered sarcastically. Ichigo seemed not to notice as she happily skipped along.

"_Perfect,"_ Kisshu smirked. _"This job might not be as bad as I thought. If watching the peacock gets boring, Kitten's house is nearby. Absolutely perfect."_

* * *

**Author: 1) "Konbawa" means, "Good afternoon".**


	6. The Hunt for Mew Aqua

Ichigo and Kyandi finally arrived at the café. "You're both late!" Minto snapped at them from her place at her table where she was having tea. "If you have a job, you must actually come to it and _work._"

"Hypocrite," Kyandi coughed into her hand. Ichigo laughed.

Both girls got dressed in their café uniforms. That day, Kyandi trained with Retasu in the back. The green-haired girl washed the dishes while Kyandi dried them and put them away in order to better familiarize herself with the kitchen. She was glad that she didn't have to serve customers today. She was _so_ not a people person.

* * *

It was five o'clock when the café closed. Ryou came out and told the girls to go search for Mew Aqua.

"And how do we do that?" Kyandi asked.

"We walk around and wait for our bodies to shine, na-no-da," answered Bu-Ling.

Kyandi scoffed. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"To make matters worse, it only reacts properly when our emotions run high," Minto added.

"Hm. Alright then. Let's go ahead and get this over with. I have to be home by seven or my dad will be angry at me for breaking curfew."

Ryou narrowed his eyes at Kyandi. "Just tell him that you had to work late. It's no big deal."

Kyandi balled up her fists and bit her tongue to keep from saying something that she would regret: something that would make her father even angrier. "I have homework, you baka," she retorted. "I'm not going to give up my good grades just so you can find something that may or may not be magic water."

Ryou pinched the top of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "You are a Mew Mew now, Kyandi. You must bear the responsibility with everyone else. You may have to sacrifice your personal goals for the greater good."

"Like heck, I do," Kyandi told him. "I would Ribbon Secret Chord your blond butt before I let my GPA slide." Everyone gasped at her words and stared at her in shock, but she ignored them and continued. "If I'm fighting to save the future of Earth, I want to make sure that I will still _have_ a future on said Earth after it has been saved. If my GPA slips and I can't get a good scholarship, I will make you," she pointed at Ryou, "pay for all of my college expenses. And if I can't learn the things that I should be learning now, I will have to take a whole lot more courses in college, which will mean that you will be shoveling out _a lot_ in order to pay for them. Do I make myself clear?"

Ryou sniggered and nodded.

"Don't you laugh at me!" Kyandi growled. "I don't have to take your crap!"

"Kyandi-chan," Ichigo sweat-dropped, "you're only a third-year in middle school. I don't think you have to worry about college yet."

* * *

As the girls searched for Mew Aqua, Kyandi played more of her Pirates in Love otome game. "Kyandi-chan," Ichigo asked, "what are you doing?"

"Well, I figured that since we only react to Mew Aqua when our emotions run high… I would make my emotions run high," she answered.

"You're so ecchi, Kyandi-san," Retasu sweat-dropped.

"That doesn't matter as long as it's effective," Kyandi replied with a grin.

Minto laughed. "Are those games really that good?"

Kyandi raised a slender eyebrow before saving her Pirates in Love data and closing the app. Then she opened her My Sweet Prince app and smiled before handing the device to Minto. "See for yourself."

Minto made a skeptical face before pressing play. Kyandi read the game over Minto's shoulder as the girls walked along. She frowned when Minto chose Lambert. "Seriously? Lambert? He's a pompous little self-righteous narcissus. I don't think you'll get along with him very well…"

Minto frowned. "I know what I like and what I don't like. Lambert knows that he is well-bred, and acts like it."

Kyandi raised an eyebrow. "Well…" She hadn't expected Minto to get so into it. But five minutes later…

"He called me a commoner! That is unacceptable!" Minto thrust Kyandi's phone back to her.

"Well, technically…" Kyandi began.

"NO ONE calls an Aizawa a commoner," Minto huffed.

"Yeah… I figured that you wouldn't get along," Kyandi shrugged.

"Are you good at match-making, Kyandi-chan?" Ichigo asked.

"I wouldn't say that I'm good at match-making, per say. I'm more talented at reading people. With that comes the ability to tell if they'll click."

"Really?" Ichigo was suddenly excited. "What do you think about Aoyama-kun and me?"

"You're a simple-minded girl who enjoys being pampered. He's a smart boy who likes to be a gentleman. You complement each other," Kyandi answered.

"Thanks… I think…" Ichigo mused.

Kyandi smiled gravely. "It's a good thing. You'll last longer than most." She checked her watch. "It's six-thirty. I need to start heading back." She moved to leave the group.

"I'll come with you!" Ichigo stepped forward.

"What?" Kyandi was a bit surprised.

"I told you that we would walk home together, didn't I?" Ichigo smiled.

Kyandi's expression softened. "Thanks, Ichigo-chan."

* * *

The girls began to walk home together. "So," Ichigo began, "do you really think that I'm simple-minded?"

Kyandi nodded. "It means that you don't think in complicated ways; you're straight-forward. You're honest, without any tricks. This world is better to have people like you in it." Kyandi stared at the pavement, _"And worse to have people like me…"_ She didn't say that part aloud.

"Oh?" Ichigo smiled. "Well, when you put it that way, I'm really great, huh?"

"Yep. Sure," Kyandi said grimly.

"_I agree with her on that,"_ Kisshu thought as he followed them. He had kept his distance while they were around the other Mews, but now he was tailing them again. _"I'm surprised that koneko-chan's fluff-ball hasn't detected my presence by now…"_

"So, you think that Aoyama-kun really loves me?" Ichigo squealed.

Kyandi exhaled sharply. She shook her head and decided to be honest. "No."

"Nani?" Ichigo asked in worry.

Kyandi stopped and met her eyes. "He doesn't love you, Ichigo. And this is why: love doesn't exist. So, don't get worried. It's not that I don't think that _he_ doesn't love _you_, and that's all. I just don't believe that anyone anywhere loves… anybody."

Ichigo developed a sad facial expression. "That's so sad." She looked at Kyandi as the girls began to walk again. "If you don't believe in love…" Ichigo was at a loss to explain the rest of what she was feeling. She felt like her heart was breaking for her new friend.

"I think that people use each other to get what they want. People want to feel happy. People want to have physical intimacy. People want to have fun. So… people believe in love, or at least say they do, and derive from it the satisfaction that they desire."

Ichigo stared at Kyandi as though she were a worse enemy than Kisshu. "Why do you think this way, Kyandi-chan? I thought that you of all people would know about love. Why else would you play those games?"

Kyandi laughed. "I need satisfaction too, Ichigo-chan. I just choose not to get it from real people. Why? Well, the ones that use love for what they want without believing in it… They're mostly guys. I won't let myself get used like that."

"Oh!" Ichigo had an epiphany. "You don't believe in love because you've never been in love!" The redhead smiled. "I can fix that, Kyandi-chan. Don't you worry!" She stopped and clasped Kyandi's hands. "You like Chobichi Yuta-san, right? I can get Aoyama-kun to talk to him for you!"

Kyandi stuttered. "W-Well, I-I…" She blushed. How could she tell Ichigo that what she did with Yuta was just as much a game as the otome that she played, and maybe more so? The redhead's brown eyes sparkled in excitement. She looked so happy. And Ichigo being the type of girl that she was, she needed to believe in love. Girls like Ichigo had little else. And so, Kyandi blinked her huge blue eyes and said, "O- Okay."

"Great!" Ichigo winked at her. "Don't you worry, Kyandi-chan. I will help you! For the future of love, I will be of service." Ichigo giggled at her own pun.

Kyandi smiled grimly. "Arigato, Ichigo-chan." She glanced behind her. "Oh. This is my house. I need to go."

"Do you want to introduce me to your parents?" Ichigo asked. "We're friends now, so I should meet them."

"N-No!" Kyandi's eyes went wide. Ichigo looked confused, and Kyandi hurried to make up an explanation. "I just – It's just me and my dad, and… He's tired! Yes. He's been busy all day at work today, and he's tired."

"Oh, okay. Ja nei!" Ichigo grinned and left with a wave.

Kisshu sighed in his bubble of invisibility. This was usually when he would follow his kitty home. But now, this was as far as he would go. _"Stupid Pai_," Kisshu mentally growled.

Kyandi slipped through the front gate and ran her hand through her hair as she traveled up the walkway. "I'm glad that she bought that. She really is simple-minded."

Kisshu perked up when he heard this. _"This girl is fooling my koneko-chan? Why? Aren't they allies?" _The green-haired alien hovered lower.

Kyandi tapped her chin. "I really hope that she doesn't get Aoyama to talk to Chobichi, though," she thought aloud. "That would be a problem." Kyandi walked through the door.

"I'm home!" Kyandi called.

"Good," she heard her father grunt from the kitchen. "I see that you learned your lesson about being late from last night."

"Yes sir," she answered with a grimace that, thankfully, her father couldn't see. She headed down the hallway and to her bedroom.

Closing the door to her room and kicking off her shoes, Kyandi sighed and slumped forward. "Why does Ichigo have to be so nice? It's harder to keep my distance from her because she's like this… But really, if I wanted Chobichi-san, I could have had him for lunch yesterday. Seriously. I have never had a guy ask me out _that_ quickly. He's either confident, or desperate."

Kisshu stood in the bushes outside Kyandi's window. _"This is strange," _he thought. _"She accepted kitten's help, but she doesn't really want it. Why would she do something like that?"_

"Oh well," Kyandi was still thinking out loud as she tossed her book bag onto her bed. "I let her 'help' because I wanted to spare her feelings. I can play around with Yuta-kun for a few days. It might be fun to have a real date for once." She sighed rather loudly, venting her frustration as she sank onto the bed next to her bag. "I just don't know how I'm going to get out of this mess." She pulled out her math book and opened it. "I told her that I didn't believe in love, and she probably won't rest until I change my mind. The problem is; I don't really like Chobichi-san. I don't really like anyone, to be honest. I'm above that kind of thing." She sketched a Cartesian coordinate system onto her graph paper, then calculated the slope and intercept from the points given and drew the line. "It's like, everybody else lives on this line. And I'm…" she put a dot on the edge of the plane, far away from the line she had drawn, "over here." She was surprised that her voice had sounded melancholy as she said this. Recovering, she huffed and erased the dot that would count off from her grade if it remained on her paper. "And that's just fine!" she added. "I like being by myself. I'm special… unique! I don't belong to a group, and I don't want to." Her voice rang out, and sounded very convincing. So… why wasn't she convinced?

Kisshu raised his eyebrows. _"This girl is going to be difficult. The Mews' weaknesses have so far proven to be their friends. But if Mew Candy doesn't have a friend, then it seems that she won't have a weakness. I need to talk to Pai about this…"_ Kisshu vanished.


	7. A Dangerous Game

Kisshu reappeared in the alternate dimension that served as their headquarters. "Pai," he began, floating over to his older brother, "this assignment that you've given me is proving to be difficult. She seems to be the type of person who goes out of her way to avoid making friends. It seems like we won't have anyone to threaten in order to get her to submit."

"Does she have family?" Pai asked.

Kisshu shrugged. "There is only her father."

Pai shook his head. "That won't do. The Mew would probably let one person die if she thought that it would save the rest of the planet. They all seem to have some sort of noble character within them, and I see no reason why their newest member would be any different. Kisshu, if she doesn't have a weakness, you're going to have to create one."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Kisshu snapped.

"Appeal to her human sympathies. Tell her why we are fighting. She might be willing to listen, and may even want to help us." Pai smirked. "This method is starting to have an effect on Mew Lettuce."

"And if it doesn't work?" Kisshu grumbled.

"If that doesn't work, we may have to resort to more… desperate measures. Kisshu, she is female. They all have a similar weakness that could be taken advantage of. It isn't preferable, but if there proves to be no other option…"

"No!" Kisshu's reply was vehement. "I'm using _that_ method with Mew Strawberry. I refuse to use it with anyone else."

Pai's voice was cold as he responded, "There is no point in using that method if it is ineffective. If anything, your pursuit of Mew Strawberry is detrimental to our mission. Remember why you are here, Kisshu. Our mission – your mission – is to save our people, first and foremost. I will not allow you to get distracted."

Kisshu narrowed his eyes. "That method wouldn't work with Mew Candy, anyway. I overheard her tell Mew Strawberry that she doesn't believe in love." Kisshu didn't mention that he had also overheard Kyandi confess her attractions to him.

Pai groaned in exasperation and pinched the top of his nose with his thumb and his forefinger. "Kisshu, if you refuse to use that method, then I will. Just remember: your reputation back home is already in shambles. The fact that Taruto and I had to be sent here at all proves your incompetence to everyone. If you want to repair your image in their eyes, you will have to do what is necessary."

Kisshu frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Then, a devilish smile crept onto his face. _"I can do this, if need be. I won't have to give up my kitten, either. Who knows? I might be able to pit these two Mews against each other. If I could do that…"_ his smile widened as he thought of the possibilities. He smirked and looked at his brother. "Alright. If I must, then I must. But, I'll leave that as a last resort. I'll attempt your other suggestion first." He vanished with a smile on his face that made Pai uneasy.

"There is no predicting that boy," the purple-haired alien commented to the empty air.

* * *

Kisshu reappeared outside Kyandi's house, hidden among the bushes. His green hair was pretty good camouflage in places like this. He smiled wickedly.

* * *

Kyandi had finished her math homework and had moved on to Japanese history. She found it funny to be reading the perspective of one of the losing sides of World War II. "'In the end, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were too devastating of a blow for the nation to withstand.' Huh. I wonder if they know that we had another bomb to deploy if they didn't surrender…" Even though she technically lived in Japan now, she still thought of herself as an American. It helped her distance herself from those around her.

Suddenly, Kyandi felt uneasy. Living with her father had allowed her to develop somewhat of a sixth sense for bad things. And now, that sixth sense was on red alert, drawing her eyes to her window. Frowning, she stood up and crossed the room. Kyandi was the type of person who faced her fears head-on, as long as she thought that such a method would be effective. This was one of those times.

* * *

Kisshu leaned against the strong branches of the rather tall bushes. He wondered when the best time would be to begin talking to Kyandi. Suddenly, the window flew open and a voice shouted, "Who's there?" Kisshu was startled and fell down onto the ground, splaying his hands behind him to catch himself. He swore as he saw a very angry Kyandi Coffman glaring at him with unforgiving blue eyes.

When Kyandi saw that it was Kisshu, she stopped glaring and smirked. "What? You didn't get enough of me yesterday, and you had to come back for more?" She ran a hand through her hair. "Well, that's not exactly surprising."

Kisshu frowned. "I want to talk," he told her.

"Of course you do," Kyandi nodded. "Every guy in my entire school wants to _'talk'_ with me. I just wasn't aware that even extraterrestrials were subject to my charms."

"Stop it," Kisshu demanded. "I don't want to talk like _that_."

Kyandi looked wounded for about half a second. Everybody wanted her like that. She wasn't used to being told 'no'. However, she recovered quickly and plastered a confused expression on her face. "So, how do you want to talk?"

Kisshu suddenly teleported into her bedroom, and Kyandi had to stifle a gasp. "I want you to hear our side of things," Kisshu began. "You see, the Mews are all biased against us. You seem smarter than the rest of them, and are definitely capable of making your own decisions."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Kyandi said, placing her hands on her hips.

Kisshu continued as if he hadn't heard her. "If you're going to make a decision, you should hear the opinions of both sides. So, I'm here to offer you an insight to our side."

Kyandi cocked an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Kisshu reclined in mid-air and began to tell her his side of things. "A long time ago, our people lived here on Earth. However, environmental conditions eventually became too bad for them to continue living here. So, they left. They set course for a new planet, and when they arrived, it seemed that this place was their salvation. And for many years, it was. But now, our planet is dying. We need a new place to go. And as we had Earth first, we figure that in a way, it still belongs to us." He straightened up and looked at her. "Don't you agree?"

Kyandi's expression was incredulous. "Uh, no!" Kisshu was shocked, but she merely continued. "First of all, have you ever heard of the expression, 'finders keepers, losers weepers'?" When he shook his head, she went on. "It means that if you had something first and lost it, it is no longer yours because you left it behind. Basically, it's free game, up for grabs." Kisshu frowned, but Kyandi continued. "Second of all, what if the planet isn't the problem? I mean, environmental conditions go so downhill that the entire planet has to be evacuated _twice_ in your people's history? The common factor in this equation is… what now? You understand what I'm implying, don't you?" The scowl on Kisshu's face told her that he did.

"And finally," Kyandi added, "what does any of this have to do with me? I assume that you're trying to get me to be a traitor to my own race, right? Your method is flawed for this reason: there's nothing in it for me if I help you guys. On the contrary, if I keep working with the other Mews, I get to be a hero and receive all of the glory that comes with that. So, unless you have a better offer, I'm going to have to ask you to get the heck out of my house."

Kisshu paused for a moment. She was really ticking him off. He knew that it was probably time to employ those more 'desperate measures' about which Pai had told him. Kisshu grimaced. Still, he remembered what Kyandi had told Ichigo earlier that day. _"It would be beneficial to have your enemy interested in you. You could string them along and get them to tell you stuff. It's like, the ultimate espionage."_ That was exactly what he would be doing with Mew Candy. However, he was aware that this Mew would probably try to play him in much the same way. He was about to initiate a dangerous game, and it made him sick.

"You're right," he pouted. "I'm sorry that I thought you would understand. I just – I…" He looked at her with sad eyes. "I just wanted…" Quite suddenly, he grabbed her around the waist and drew her into a kiss. He didn't really like kissing someone that he had no feelings for, but this was for business, not pleasure.

Kyandi's eyes went wide as she watched Kisshu's slip closed. His tongue forced its way into her mouth and explored. He licked her teeth. He poked her tongue with his own. He pressed his lips hard against hers, and she finally broke out of her shock. She began to beat her hands against his chest in attempt to push him away. She was used to guys wanting her, but none of them had ever done _this_. His bold move was kind of a turn on, but it was also a violation that she couldn't permit. When her pushes went unnoticed, she swiftly brought her knee up to his groin.

Kisshu broke the kiss and clenched his teeth in pain. But he clenched them too soon, and ended up biting his tongue. He bent over and groaned in agony.

Kyandi smirked. _"This actually works out rather perfectly,"_ she mused. _"It's like I told Ichigo earlier; this is a great opportunity for espionage."_

With the grin still on her face, she leaned down and whispered in Kisshu's ear, "I warned you that I play rough with my toys."


	8. The Alien Avenger?

**Author: I have decided to do something a little different. I am going to be revealing a song from Kyandi's favorite playlist every chapter. If you like, you can look these songs up on YouTube to learn a little bit more about Kyandi Coffman. Today's song is "I've Got Nerve" by Hannah Montana. I hope that you guys enjoy this semi-interactive addition to the story.**

* * *

Kyandi laughed as she watched Kisshu groan and grip his groin. _"This would make an awkward slumber party moment. _

"'_Let's play Truth or Dare! Kyandi, who was your first kiss?' _

"'_Oh, just an alien who was also my enemy at the time. I kneed him in the balls for it too.'_

"_Yep. I'm never boring, am I?" _she thought with a chuckle.

* * *

Kisshu came home clutching his crotch. He said, "Pai, this is the result of those more 'desperate measures'."

"Did she reject you?" Pai asked.

"No," Kisshu grunted. "This was her idea of fun."

"I see," Pai answered quietly.

* * *

The next day, Kyandi walked to work with Ichigo. It was Saturday, so they were headed to the café in the morning for a change. Kyandi was wondering if she should tell Ichigo about what happened last night, when suddenly Ichigo's pet robo-fluffball – its name was Masha, right? – popped out of her purse and screamed, "Alien! Alien!"

"Whoa. Nice alert system. I want one," Kyandi commented as Taruto appeared in front of the two girls. "Hey, I haven't met this one yet," Kyandi grinned. "What's your name, little alien?" At the word 'little' Ichigo started making various suicide gestures that Kyandi didn't understand.

"I'm not little, you old maid! And my name is Taruto!" he snapped.

Kyandi didn't let his comment irk her. "Okay, hi Taruto. Personally, I think it's kind of rude that the aliens make a little girl fight. But then again, we have Pudding, so I can't judge, can I?"

Taruto looked shocked and offended. "I'm a boy, you baka!"

Kyandi sneered. "Well sooorrrrry! But you're not old enough to tell just by looking at your chest, and you're wearing pigtails, which is an awfully girly hairstyle. I mean, Exhibit A." She gestured to Ichigo, whose red hair was styled in her signature pigtails.

"Sh- Shut up!" Taruto whined. He paused for a moment. "You're Mew Candy, right? The new girl?"

"Maybe," Kyandi snarked as she crossed her arms. "What's it to you?"

"You hurt Kisshu! I'm going to make you pay!" Taruto replied vehemently.

Ichigo looked to Kyandi, very confused. "And when did this happen, Kyandi-chan?"

"He came into my bedroom last night and tried to talk like he wanted me on his side of the war. I kneed him in the balls," Kyandi supplied. "I mean, I saw the way that he annoyed the crap out of you during that battle. I stick up for my girls." Kyandi repressed a smug smile at the half-truth that escaped her lips. She honestly didn't care what Kisshu did to Ichigo. Kyandi Coffman didn't make friends, so of course she didn't defend them either.

"Kyandi-chan, you are the best friend ever!" Ichigo beamed.

Taruto rubbed his chin and looked confused. "He said that you hurt him after he kissed you."

"EEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?" Ichigo hollered.

Kyandi sweat-dropped. "Well yeah, there was that too."

Taruto frowned and dramatically pointed at Kyandi. "Today, I pay you back for what you did to my brother!"

Kyandi tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Okay. Whatever, little girl." She pulled out her pendant. "Mew Mew Candy, METAMORPHOSIS!" A flash of teal light momentarily blinded her opponent. When the light cleared, she was clad in her Mew outfit with her peacock tail folded back behind her, in a battle stance.

Taruto summoned his bolas and screamed. "I'm a boy, d*mn it!" He spun his weapon around and charged.

"Candy Harp!" Candy summoned her weapon. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" A blast of wind hit Taruto full force in the chest, propelling him backwards.

"Ah!" the little alien screamed in shock.

"You're avenging your brother's honor. Sure, right," Candy muttered sarcastically. She then raised her voice to make sure he could hear her. "You're only making a fool of yourself. Go home."

Taruto stood from where he had fallen and growled in frustration before shouting, "Go, Para Para!" Four parasitic jellyfish appeared in his hand and he threw them at Mew Candy. They landed on the ground around her feet.

"Haha! Missed me, you little twerp. I- Ah!" Vines sprouted up from where the parasites had landed and coiled tightly around Candy.

"Candy-chan! I'll save you!" Ichigo said with a determined nod. "Mew Mew Strawberry, METAMORPHOSIS!" A pink light enveloped Ichigo for a second before she stood transformed as Mew Strawberry. The cat mew turned to Taruto. "Strawberry Bell!" she summoned.

Taruto began to look nervous. He had only been on the receiving end of a Strawberry Surprise once: when their plan to separate the Mews had failed and that Blue Knight guy had appeared and come to Mew Strawberry's rescue. She had hit all three of them. It had been so painful then that even _Pai_ had to teleport away. The youngest alien really didn't want to experience that again. "Okay, fine! I give up for today. You Mew Mews win, for now." With a sullen frown, he teleported away.

"Mew Candy!" Strawberry exclaimed, her Strawberry Bell dissolving in her hand. The cat mew rushed over to free her ally from Taruto's tangle of vines.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Ryou said, looking at Kyandi and Ichigo who were standing before him in their human forms. "Kisshu gave Kyandi his sob story and asked her to switch sides. When she said no, he got all emotional and kissed her, so she kneed him in the crotch. Did I get that right?"

"Yep, from what I've heard, that's exactly what happened," Ichigo explained.

"That's how it went down," Kyandi nodded.

Ryou exhaled in frustration and ran a hand through his blond hair. "From what I can understand, this seems like nothing more than the aliens' ploy to get you to stop fighting, and - "

"I'm one step ahead of you, Shirogane," Kyandi interrupted. "For some reason, they've decided to pull a trick to try to convince me to become a traitor. But, I won't be so easily fooled," Kyandi winked. "So, I say that we trick them back. I'll act like I'm going along with it, but I'll really be trying to get Kisshu to leak some info to us. Sound good?"

Ichigo gasped. "But Kyandi-chan, Kisshu is very dangerous!"

Ryou sweat-dropped. "This might sound a bit crazy, but I actually think that Coffman-san could handle him. I did research on all of you girls before infusing you." He turned to Kyandi. "Coffman-san, you're annoying as h*ll, and you seem to be quite perverted for a girl. However, I think that those attributes would work to your advantage in the mission that you have proposed. After all, Kisshu is also perverted and annoying as h*ll."

"Thank you, sir!" Kyandi saluted.

Ryou raised an eyebrow, unsure if she really didn't pick up on that insult, or if she actually didn't care. "We'll keep this a secret from the other Mews for now. Well… we might want to make an exception for Zakuro." He turned back to Ichigo. "You recall what Zakuro did to Minto when Minto wanted to quit?" When Ichigo nodded, Ryou continued. "It would likely be worse if she thought that a Mew was actually going to betray us."

After a long silence, Ryou nodded. "Alright, girls. Go get changed into your uniforms. Ichigo, you will be waiting on tables one, two, three, four and five. Kyandi, you'll be taking care of six, seven, eight, nine and ten. Work hard." Then, he walked away.

* * *

Kyandi had finished changing into her uniform and debated what hairstyle she should wear with the outfit. She settled for a single bun on the top of her head and smiled at her reflection in the mirror before heading to the bathroom to wash her hands. After that, she was ready to work.

Kyandi was waiting on the tables that Ryou had specified. Of course, she also had to wait on eleven, twelve, thirteen and fourteen because Minto was on her tea break. Minto was also in charge of table fifteen, but this was the table that the black-haired girl had dedicated to her tea time, so thankfully Kyandi didn't have to care for it as well. Bu-Ling was running about and serving tables sixteen through twenty, and Retasu was greeting the customers at the door and leading them to their tables. Zakuro was running the cash register. Or, she was until Ryou came out from the back. "Zakuro, I need to talk to you," he said. Zakuro nodded and walked into the kitchen with him.

Kyandi was waiting on two of the dumb guys from her school and their girlfriends. They were sitting at table nine, and both of the boys were ogling her. As a result, both of the girls were frowning at her. "Here's your tiramisu, miss. Your cream soda, sir. This is your strawberry cheesecake, miss. And this is your milkshake, sir." She distributed their orders among them.

The guy who had ordered the milkshake sniggered and said, "I'd prefer those milkshakes." He pointed to Kyandi's breasts.

Kyandi scowled and was about to beat the crap out of him when Zakuro came over. "Coffman-san," the girl said. Kyandi turned to look at her, and Zakuro continued. "I heard about your new _boyfriend_. Be careful."

Kyandi winked. "Thanks, Fujiwara-san, but I'm pretty sure that I can handle it. It's not like this is the first guy I've talked to. I've actually had a boyfriend before. He cried his heart out when I had to leave America. It was pretty funny, actually."

Zakuro frowned. "You think that it's funny to make people cry?"

Kyandi shrugged. "No. Not people. Just guys."

The purple-haired girl got an impassive look on her face. "Well then, maybe you two deserve each other." Then she turned and walked back to her duty at the cash register.

When Kyandi turned back to her table, the guy that had made the rude comment was staring at her with a gaping mouth. The other guy at the table also looked surprised. One of the girls smiled and said, "Congratulations on your new boyfriend, Coffman-san."

"Thanks, Osaki-san," Kyandi replied with a smile. The girl looked surprised that Kyandi knew her name.

At that moment, Retasu started freaking out. "I need someone who speaks English! I can't understand this customer!"

Kyandi looked over to Zakuro, but she was busy checking out the long line of customers that had gathered in her absence with Ryou.

Minto had finished her tea time and came up and tapped Kyandi on the shoulder. "I'll be taking care of my tables again. You can go help Retasu, right? As I understand it, you used to live in America, didn't you?"

"Yeah, sure," Kyandi admitted. She walked over to where Retasu stood near the door. Retasu was glancing around nervously, her bespectacled blue eyes looking as though they were about to leak out tears at any moment. "I can help you, Midorikawa," Kyandi said with a smile.

"Thanks goodness," Retasu sighed in relief.

But before the green-haired girl had even finished her expression, the customer looked straight at Kyandi and exclaimed in English, "Candi! Candi Coffman? Is that you?"

"J- Joshua!" Kyandi exclaimed in surprise, and in English. "W- What the heck are you doing here?"

"Ah!" Retasu panicked and whispered in Japanese. "Oh no. He called you 'Candy'! Your cover as a Mew Mew is blown!"

Kyandi waved Retasu's comment away and explained in Japanese, "That's just the way that Americans pronounce my name. It's no big deal." Then she stared at her ex-boyfriend and asked him in English again, "Seriously, what are you doing here?"

He smirked. "I convinced my family that a vacation to Tokyo would be fun. We plan on staying for a couple of months. My parents hired a tutor for me and everything."

Joshua Robertson was Kyandi Coffman's ex-boyfriend. His parents were extremely rich, and as Joshua was an only child, they doted on him like he was the sun that their world revolved around. Because of this, Joshua was an arrogant brat that entertained himself by treating girls like his toys, as he seemed to believe that the world actually _did_ revolve around him. But then again, that was before Kyandi had dug her claws into him. She had beaten this player at his own game, earning his respect for that, and eventually his affections. Kyandi was the first girl that Joshua had ever been serious about, and he had been crushed when she moved to Japan. Ever since then, he had been formulating a plan to get her back. And now finally, about a year later, this plan was in action.

"Oh, and by the way," he added in Japanese, "I speak Japanese fluently. I apologize if I worried your friend, but I figured that the only way to get you over here was to pretend that I didn't understand her. By the way, I've learned a lot of words, but what on Earth is a 'Mew Mew'?"

Kyandi didn't miss a beat. "It's the dumb name that our perverted boss gave the waitresses here. This is Café Mew Mew, and the waitresses are called Mew Mews. It's dumb. I think he did it because he has some sick fantasy about being with a nekomimi." **(1)**

"N- N- Nani?" Ichigo screeched.

"Yes, really," Kyandi tossed over her shoulder and toward the tables. "It's totally obvious, isn't it Bu-Ling?"

The blonde little girl piped up with, "Hai, na-no-da!" And Ichigo began to blush furiously.

"Why is she blushing?" Joshua pointed to the redhead.

"Oh, she's just shocked to discover that our boss is such a pervert," Kyandi covered. "Retasu," she turned to the other girl, "now that we know the truth about Joshu, you can seat him, right?"

"Joshu?" Joshua asked.

"That's kind of the Japanese version of your name," Kyandi explained. "I've got to get back to waiting tables. Don't stalk me, Joshu," she teased as she went back to her job.

To Kyandi's chagrin, Retasu seated her ex at table seven: one of her tables. _"This is going to be a looong day."_

* * *

**Author: 1. "Nekomimi" means "cat-ear". It is often used to refer to women with felines appendages, like Ichigo. This is why she was embarrassed.**


	9. A Battle, A Scheme and A Little Fun

**Author: The next song on Kyandi's playlist is "Never Underestimate a Girl" by Vanessa Hudgens.**

**In a non-playlist related note, my Thanksgiving break has allowed me to finish my Hunger Games story. So now, I can focus totally on this one for a while.**

* * *

Kyandi was right. It was a long day. Joshu stayed at Café Mew Mew for five hours. And although he could speak Japanese, he apparently couldn't _read_ any. Kyandi had to translate the entire menu for him. That had taken about half an hour. And then, he took forever to decide what he wanted! She had to describe some of the traditional Japanese desserts to him, and after she had done that, he had forgotten what was on most of the menu. So, she had to go back and translate it _again_.

When he finally ordered, Kyandi was relieved and hoped that he would just eat and leave. She served him his food and took care of her other tables for a while. Meanwhile, Joshu watched Bu-Ling perform and clapped and laughed. He sat there for so long that the ice cream on his pie a la mode melted. Then, he made Kyandi come and replace his order.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she growled through her teeth as she sat down his second plate.

"As a matter of fact, I am," Joshu replied, his dark blue eyes twinkling in delight. "After all, back when we were together, _I_ was the one getting ordered around. It's nice to see the shoe on the other foot." He chuckled as Kyandi's face turned red in anger.

Ryou came out of the kitchen. "I'm sorry, everyone. We're going to have to close due to a bit of a plumbing emergency. Girls, please come back here after you've finished escorting your customers to the door."

Kyandi smirked. Finally, Joshu would have no choice but to leave! But to her chagrin, her ex stood up and ran a hand through his sandy brown hair. "How fortunate, Candi," he said in English. "This is a chance for you to introduce me to your new friends."

Kyandi was ready to slap him. She watched her other customers leave. With a groan, she slumped her shoulders and began to walk to the kitchen. When Ichigo glanced from Kyandi to Joshu and then gave Kyandi a questioning stare, Kyandi shot back a warning glare. Ichigo flinched and rushed into the kitchen.

"Right," Kyandi began to introduce Joshu to everyone. "Joshu, this is Bu-Ling. Bu-Ling, this is my baka ex-boyfriend, Joshu."

"B- baka?" Joshu sweat-dropped. **(1)**

Bu-Ling giggled. "Don't worry. Kyandi is mean to everyone."

"Hey!" Kyandi snapped at the blonde girl.

Ichigo came back out of the kitchen with Ryou in tow. Ryou frowned at Joshu and said, "All customers need to leave."

"I'm a friend of Kyandi's," Joshu replied.

"Friend is stretching a bit, don't you think?" Kyandi grumbled while clenching her fists.

Joshu continued on as though he hadn't heard her. "I could help with your plumbing problem, if you don't mind."

Ryou appeared to be pondering something. When he had finished, he nodded. "Alright. Come into the back with me," he told Joshu.

Kyandi watched as her ex followed her boss into the kitchen. Once the doors had closed behind them, Kyandi collapsed into one of the café's chairs and sighed in relief. "I didn't think that I would ever get rid of him," she moaned and leaned her head onto the table.

"Ichigo," Zakuro spoke up, "is it the aliens?"

Kyandi's head snapped up. She hadn't thought of this. The peacock mew glanced to her leader. Ichigo nodded, and Kyandi's eyes widened. "Oh crap, Joshu won't leave…" With sudden emotion, Kyandi stood up and put her hand over her heart. "If my ex-boyfriend becomes responsible for the destruction of all of Tokyo, I am going to kick his-"

"Girls, come back here please," Ryou's voice called from the kitchen door. Everyone looked over to him. Kyandi noticed that he was holding an empty syringe.

When they entered the kitchen, the mews were surprised to find Joshu lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. Kyandi put two and two together and got four. "Shirogane-san! Thank you soooo much!" She flung her arms around the blond teenager, causing him to blush. When Kyandi broke the hug, she smiled. "You drugged my ex-boyfriend. You rock. He is out cold!" Kyandi kicked Joshu in the gut and sniggered when he didn't stir. She was tempted to kick somewhere else, but decided that that would probably be risking too much. She looked at her fellow mews. "Does anyone have a marker? I really want to draw on his face."

Her teammates stared at her like she was insane. (Well, Bu-Ling didn't. The monkey mew seemed rather excited about doodling on a sleeping person's face.)

Minto shook her head patronizingly and took out her pendant. "Mew Mew Mint, METAMORPHOSIS!"

The others followed.

"Mew Mew Strawberry, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Zakuro, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Lettuce, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Pudding, METAMORPHOSIS!"

Kyandi rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Party poopers," before bringing out her own pendant. "Mew Mew Candy, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"The aliens are digging for Mew Aqua," Ryou told them. "They can't get it, no matter what. You have to stop them."

"There he goes, being all dramatic again," Candy mumbled. "'No matter what, stop them from getting the Mew Aqua! Even if you die, don't let them have it! Even though your deaths would be counter-productive and they would be able to conquer the world easily without your resistance, you must stop them from getting this Mew Aqua, no matter what. After all, this is the all-important magical water-that-isn't-water.'" Mew Mint giggled at Candy's impression.

Ryou frowned. "Their searches have been causing earthquakes. People could get hurt. You need to put a stop to them." And so, the Mews burst out of the café and began to run toward their target.

* * *

Strawberry was surprised when Candy took out her iPhone and began to play with her iPhone while running. "Candy, this isn't the time to be playing otome!"

Candy shrugged. "I'm making my emotions run high again. Who knows? If this battle goes downhill we might have to use the magic water that these big-eared bloodhounds from outer space have found for us."

Mint laughed. "Did you just call the aliens bloodhounds?"

As they neared the place indicated by Masha, the ground began to shake. Candy stumbled and nearly fell, but caught herself. She then slipped her phone inside her tube top, into the area that she called nature's pocket.

All of the Mews watched as the ground began to crack. "Come on!" Strawberry shouted. She jumped into the opening in the ground. Candy followed first; then came Zakuro, Mint, Lettuce and Pudding. After traveling for a few seconds underground, their path was suddenly obstructed by a huge mole Chimera Anima bursting up from the ground beneath them. The Chimera's eyes glowed red. Its nose looked like the end of a drill. Its back was plated in metal.

"Strawberry Bell!" Mew Strawberry shouted, summoning her weapon.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a young voice called out of the darkness. Suddenly, Taruto appeared above the mole's head.

"Hey, it's the little girl," Candy teased, purposefully trying to rile him up.

"I'm a boy!" he shouted. "D*mn you, Mew Mews. Go, Chimera Anima!"

"Mint Arrow!" Mint summoned as the Chimera charged. "Ribbon! MINT ECHO!"

The arrow hit the Chimera on its metal, drill-like nose. It didn't even seem to notice that it had been hit.

"No way," Mint gasped in alarm.

Meanwhile, Candy stood back, calculating.

"Pudding Ring!" Pudding rushed at the monster. "Ribbon! PUDDING RING INFERNO!" The giant mole was encased in a blob of pudding. "Na-no-da!" Pudding exclaimed happily.

Candy narrowed her eyes and shook her head. _"That won't last."_ A few seconds later, the Chimera burst free.

"Oh no!" Pudding exclaimed.

"Lettuce Castanets!" the green Mew Mew tried to attack now. "Ribbon! LETTUCE RUSH!" The water impaled the Chimera on its metal-plated back. Again, it seemed not to notice the attack.

"Zakuro's Whip!" Mew Zakuro summoned her weapon. Holding her cross in her hand, Zakuro turned to Mew Candy. "Aren't you going to fight?"

Candy clenched her teeth and grumbled, "I'm waiting for a good shot. It does nothing to hit it in a place where it isn't vulnerable."

Mew Zakuro nodded in reply.

At that moment, the words "Ribbon! STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!" echoed throughout the underground chasm. The attack hit the Chimera right in the eyes. Used to the darkness of the underground world, the monster found the light attack painful and blinding. It raised its forepaws to cover its eyes, standing on its two hind feet, leaving its stomach open and unprotected.

Candy saw this. Unlike the Chimera's back, its stomach was not covered in metal plates. "Yes!" she cheered. "Candy Harp!"

"Ribbon! MINT ECHO!" Another arrow flew from Mew Mint's weapon and hit the monster dead in the gut.

Candy nodded at Mint in approval before rushing forward herself. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" The Chimera was pummeled in the stomach by a gale of wind.

Now, this Chimera Anima was getting sick of being beaten up. It angled its nose and arched its back, preparing to dive and drill through the soil, to escape the nuisances that were assaulting him. But a Mew had discovered his intent, and as he bent forward to carry out his plan, an attack met him on the ground and caused him to rear back up.

"Ribbon! ZAKURO'S PURE!" hit the dirt near the Chimera's feet.

"Way to go, Mew Zakuro!" Candy commented. Turning back to the battle, she released her final assault along with the others.

"Ribbon! MINT ECHO!"

"Ribbon! LETTUCE RUSH!"

"Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!"

"Ribbon! PUDDING RING INFERNO!"

"Ribbon! STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!"

With an agonized roar, the Chimera Anima dissolved into an ordinary mole and an alien parasite, the latter of which Masha devoured.

"D*mn you!" Taruto pouted. "I'll get you for this! You just wait!"

"Looking forward to it, little girl. Nice temper tantrum by the way," Mew Candy teased.

"For the last time," Taruto shouted as he began to vanish, "I AM A BOY!"

* * *

Taruto reappeared in the aliens' alternate dimension headquarters. The green fog and the floating stone pillars surrounded him. He was a tad surprised to see his older brother hovering before him and holding some strange, white, cottony thing. "Kisshu," Taruto sulked, "those Mew Mews killed one of our Mew Aqua hunting Chimera Animas. We need something to distract them so that they'll be too busy to interfere for a while."

"You mean like a diversion?" Kisshu asked, raising a green eyebrow.

"Exactly," Taruto nodded, and his brown pigtails bounced a bit.

"I've already thought of that, Taruto," Kisshu smirked. "Come with me."

Kisshu teleported, and Taruto followed through his portal. The two of them were high over Tokyo. Right in front of them stood the Tokyo Tower. Taruto's curiosity finally got the better of him, and his pointed to the cottony thing in Kisshu's hand. "What's that?"

"A diversion," Kisshu answered. He chuckled sinisterly. "Actually, it's a cocoon. Inside of it, there's a moth. When this moth grows up and hatches, its body will be full of pollutants. And when this moth flies around the city, those pollutants will be released upon the populous. All of Tokyo will die in less than a day."

Taruto looked surprised. "_You_ came up with this? It's a better plan than the Mew Aqua!" Taruto smirked. "We can wipe out all of the humans in this area very quickly. This will kill everyone!"

Kisshu smirked and responded, "That's why the Mew Mews will attack this moth instead of our moles. It's an excellent diversion. And if they fail to beat it, then we gain something from that too." His smirk morphed into a wicked smile. "So, I'll just put this here…" he stuck the cocoon onto the rod at the top of Tokyo Tower, "… and we'll just wait and see what happens."

* * *

Back at the café, the Mews had returned to their human forms. Kyandi and Bu-Ling sat on the floor of the kitchen with an arsenal of Sharpies, turning Joshu's face into a masterpiece. "It's amazing that he's _still_ knocked out," Kyandi noted. She then turned to Ryou. "Shirogane, what drug did you use? And more importantly, where can I get some?"

Ryou sweat-dropped. "I'm afraid that that's my own special formula, Coffman-san."

"Wow, you make superheroes and drugs. Are you a good guy or a bad guy, Shirogane-san?" Kyandi retorted. Ryou grimaced and left the girls to their dirty work.

"I'm almost done with the red, na-no-da," Bu-Ling said as she colored Joshu's lips.

"Great," Kyandi nodded. "I'm glad that we went with blue on his eyelids. It'll match his eyes," she joked in a sinister tone. Kyandi took the hot pink marker that she was holding and drew a circle on his right cheek to match the one that she had already put on his left. "Aw! He's so pretty!" she gushed mockingly.

"Done, na-no-da!" Bu-Ling cheered with a smile, removing the red marker from his stained lips.

"Not just yet…" Kyandi chortled, uncapping the brown marker. "Let's give him some freckles." She hadn't finished applying the brown dots before Joshu began to stir. "Oops…" Kyandi grimaced.

Joshu looked up. "What are you doing?"

"Thanks for teaching me how to do make-up, na-no-da," Bu-Ling smiled at Kyandi.

"No problem," Kyandi winked at the younger girl.

"Make-up? What?" Joshu exclaimed. He scrambled to his feet and ran for the café's bathroom. As he stared into the mirror, his reflection gradually grew angrier and angrier. What had Kyandi and Bu-Ling done? Well… They had colored his eyelids blue, giving the appearance that he was wearing eye shadow. Then, Bu-Ling had colored his lips red, making it seem as though he were wearing lipstick. Kyandi had drawn pink circles on his cheeks to mimic blush, and she had topped it off with a sprinkling of dark brown freckles.

"Candi Coffman!" Joshu roared in English.

Outside the bathroom door, Kyandi and Bu-Ling giggled. "Mission accomplished," Kyandi grinned, giving Bu-Ling a high five.

* * *

**Author: 1) "Baka" is an insulting term, like "stupid", "fool" or "idiot". **


	10. Ichigo's Spazzing Scene

**Author: The next song on Kyandi's playlist is "Fearless" by Olivia Holt.**

* * *

It had been three days since that last battle. Ryou sat in the basement and stared at a blank screen. He couldn't understand it.

"They've been quiet lately," Keiichiro spoke, seeming to read Ryou's mind.

"Yes. Too quiet. It has me worried," the blond confessed.

"What do you think they're up to?" Keiichiro asked as he sat down a tray with two cups of tea.

"No idea," Ryou answered in a foreboding tone, "but I'm sure we'll find out."

"Right," Keiichiro got up and left the room. He came back carrying a briefcase. "We may need her to use this."

"Keiichiro, that is…" Ryou began.

"Yes. It's the one that we unearthed at the archaeological site." He opened up the briefcase. A stone scepter rested inside.

"Do you think it will work?" Ryou asked.

Keiichiro replied, "I'm not sure."

* * *

Kyandi Coffman walked down the street with the other mews. They were out in their human forms again, searching for the Mew Aqua. Kyandi was, of course, playing her otome game. She had almost finished Alan's story. She was reading the final lines of the game and then the ending screen popped up. "Super Happy Ending" it read, displaying a Pirate's treasure chest with hearts flying out of it.

"What? 'Super Happy Ending'? I joined the Rika pirates and am on his ship and his kisses me and… 'Super Happy Ending'? No wedding? Not even an, 'I'll be by your side for the rest of my life'? What a rip off! Eduardo's ending was better than this! Come _on!_ The entire game got me all doki-doki, and now it ends like _this?_" Kyandi humphed and put her hands on her hips. **(1)** "I should write otome games. I could make them end better than this."

"Do you like writing, Kyandi-san?" Retasu asked.

"Yes, I suppose so," Kyandi answered with a shrug. "I'm just saying: I'm a teenager and I could write something better than this. Isn't the whole point of an otome game to get a girl excited? I'm just mad right now."

"Yo!" someone jumped down from an overpass and frightened the daylights out of Ichigo.

"Hello, Shirogane-san," Kyandi nodded at their boss.

"Shirogane, don't scare me like that!" Ichigo snapped.

"Did you find anything yet?" he asked.

"N- No, not yet," Retasu stuttered.

Minto crossed her arms. "It's not as if you've made it easy. What are we supposed to do? This city is too big! It would help if we had some idea of where to look."

"Masha," Ryou commanded the fluffy robot at Ichigo's side, "fly back to the lab and tell Keiichiro to narrow down the search area."

"Roger!" the robot squeaked.

Masha flew off toward the café. As he flew, his sensors went off. "Chimera Anima! Chimera Anima!" he chirped. He followed his programming codes and flew to the source of the alert. Something was on the top of the Tokyo Tower. Masha surrounded it, examining it. "Bird's nest? Bird's nest?" He clumsily flew into the object. "Masha made a mistake. Bad Masha. Don't complain. It's not a Chimera Anima."

* * *

The next day was Wednesday. Ichigo and Kyandi walked to school together. Ichigo suddenly realized something. "Oh! Kyandi-chan! I'm in the seventh grade. You're in the ninth grade. Shouldn't I call you Kyandi-sempai?"

Kyandi shrugged. "It doesn't really matter to me. We didn't have these honorifics in America. Besides, I'm pretty sure that we're well enough acquainted to be familiar."

"Oh, is that so? Arigato, Kyandi-chan!" Ichigo said with a smile.

After school, Kyandi and Ichigo both had to go to the café on Ryou's orders. But as the girls changed into their normal shoes, Kyandi spied someone by the door. "Ah. Aoyama-san," Kyandi murmured. Ichigo snapped her head up.

"Hello, Coffman-sempai," Masaya Aoyama nodded in her direction. He looked over Kyandi's shoulder and smiled. "Good afternoon, Ichigo-san."

"G- Good afternoon, Aoyama-kun," Ichigo replied, stepping out from behind Kyandi.

"Hey, Ichigo, I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere with me," he told her.

"I would love to, but I – I really have to go to the café today," the redhead mumbled.

Kyandi took her caramel brown hair out of her ponytail and wove it into a braid coming down from the side of her head while she waited for the two lovebirds to finish talking. Finally, Ichigo sighed and looked back at her teammate. "Are you coming, Kyandi-chan?"

"Yep," Kyandi answered with a nod, tying off her braid and following Ichigo all the way to the café.

* * *

"He was waiting for me…" Ichigo sulked as they changed into their café uniforms. "He was waiting for me, Kyandi-chan. Aoyama-kun was kind enough to wait for me, and I had to turn him down because of this search for the Mew Aqua." Ichigo sat her ruffle onto her head and frowned. "That's it! Today I'm giving Shirogane-san a piece of my mind."

* * *

After their work at the café had ended for the day, Ichigo stood in front of Ryou, while all of the other waitresses watched behind her. "We're not going to find the Mew Aqua at this rate," Ichigo complained.

"Don't give up. Don't be impatient!" Ryou responded. "All we can do now is to keep searching. You guys have some free time anyway, right?"

Ichigo's eye twitched. "Free time?"

"Yeah," Ryou replied. "I know that you have nothing else to do anyways."

Ichigo's face turned red as Ryou's words echoed in her ears.

Kyandi, who had seen this coming, began a commentary similar to that of a newscaster. "And then, Mt. Ichigo erupted. And that, boys and girls, is how Shirogane Ryou died."

Ichigo exploded in a scream of rage. "I _do_ have things to do! Even though he's busy, he was waiting for me today! Meanwhile, I go looking for the Mew Aqua in vain! The other girls are here too; they're sacrificing their personal time as well." The other Mews all nodded at Ichigo's true statement while the redhead continued to vent her frustrations. Her cat ears and tail popped out from their hiding place and she began to hyperventilate like a madwoman.

"Oh, she's snapped," Minto observed in amusement.

"Maybe she hasn't had a date with Aoyama-san in a long time," Retasu guessed.

"It's true," Kyandi nodded. "This has been the third day in a row that he's wanted to walk with her in the park, and she had to turn him down because of work."

"Shirogane-oniichan hit on a touchy subject, na-no-da," Bu-Ling murmured.

"'He was waiting.'? Ah. That Aoy-something," Ryou concluded.

"Don't call him that!" Ichigo roared, putting her angry face very close to Ryou's. "Because you say that Tokyo's in danger, I'm working hard looking for the Mew Aqua without even seeing my boyfriend! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT I HAVE 'NOTHING TO DO'?"

"It's our duty. It can't be helped," Ryou retorted.

Kyandi scoffed. "Sure. I'd love to see _you_ out there, walking around and waiting for _your_ body to glow for once."

"I can't," Ryou glared at Kyandi. "I'm not a Mew Mew."

"That can be fixed," Kyandi said with an evil raise of her eyebrows. She turned to Keiichiro. "Akasaka-san, please be a dear and fetch me some of that Mew Mew making serum." Keiichiro sweat-dropped at this request.

"Shirogane, you are such a slave driver!" Ichigo yelled. Whirling away from him, she shouted, "Geez! I hate you." Then, with some very dramatic stomping, Ichigo moved toward the exit of the café.

"Ichigo-san!" Keiichiro called after her, trying to stop her. He winced as the door to the café slammed loudly. Ichigo was gone. He turned back to Ryou. "This time, Ryou, you've gone too far."

"Ouch," Kyandi said, staring at door through which Ichigo had just left. "I knew she was ticked, but I didn't think that she was _that_ angry. Maybe I should go calm her down."

"I don't know why she gets worked up over such a little thing," Ryou complained.

Kyandi stared at the floor before rising up from the chair in which she had been sitting. "Ichigo is a simple girl," she stated stoically. "For girls like her, love is all they have. It's their world." Kyandi turned and looked darkly at Ryou. "Don't be the reason for the destruction of her world, Shirogane. Otherwise, she may very well become the reason for the destruction of yours." Saying this, Kyandi turned and left the café, following after Ichigo. She didn't even get to see the expression of shock on Ryou's face.

"Maybe that girl isn't a good-for-nothing after all," he muttered as soon as the door had closed.

* * *

Kyandi followed Ichigo. "Ichigo-chan! You forgot your uniform and your school bag!" she called after her.

"Geez! I did," Ichigo mumbled. "But, I can't go back for them now. I don't want to see that stupid Shirogane's face."

"I thought you might say that," Kyandi smiled. "You want to go shopping until you cool down?"

Ichigo looked over at Kyandi solemnly, and nodded. Her cat appendages retracted.

Kyandi and Ichigo walked side by side. Kyandi felt naturally protective of the redhead, and walked on the car side of the sidewalk because of that. _"It's funny," _she thought. _"I've never trusted… anybody. But somehow, when I'm with Ichigo, it's just impossible to keep my guard up. She's so innocent and naïve. She's kind of like a little kid. She rattles on and on about things that are really important to no one other than herself. It's really strange… I can see any of the other Mews having a secret agenda. Zakuro's aloofness, Minto's snobbery, even Retasu's shyness could all be a mask. And of course, Bu-Ling has an agenda, but it isn't a secret; she wants money. But Ichigo… I didn't know that it was possible for a person to be this open. And it's because she's this open that I think… I think I can trust her. I think that I might actually be able to have a real friend, for the first time in my life._

"_So... Ichigo is my friend now, huh? Ichigo Momomiya is friends with Kyandi Coffman." _Kyandi got a bit of a wicked smile on her face. _"Yeah, we're friends. And if anyone makes my friend upset, they have to answer to _me."

"It's just, I really love Aoyama-kun," Ichigo sighed sorrowfully. "I hate not being able to spend time with him."

"Yeah? I would sympathize, but I've never had a relationship like that. Sorry," Kyandi said politely.

Ichigo stopped and stared at Kyandi. "Oh, Kyandi-chan! I'm so sorry that I've been so inconsiderate!" The redhead quickly folded her senior into a hug.

Kyandi balked at Ichigo's sudden wave of emotion. "W-Why?" she sputtered.

"Here I am blithering on about how much I love Aoyama-kun, forgetting that you've never been in love in your entire life. I'm ashamed of myself. I should be glad that I have love now, regardless of how difficult it might be. I'm really sorry. Will you forgive me?" Ichigo pulled back and looked Kyandi in the eyes, her brown ones on the verge of spilling tears.

"Ichigo," Kyandi smiled, "it's really okay. I don't know what love is like, so it's not like I know what I'm missing, right?" Kyandi's blue eyes sparkled as she tried to get her friend to calm down. She looked for an answer – somewhere, anywhere – and found it right behind Ichigo. "Look. This is a jewelry store. Do you want to go inside?"

"Okay," Ichigo nodded.

The two girls laughed and walked into the store, looking around. Kyandi found a cute necklace strung with green and blue beads. There was a clip in the middle of the necklace: a place for someone to attach a charm. Kyandi pulled the necklace off of its rack. "Hey, Ichigo, look. Isn't it cute?"

"Yeah! It's pretty," Ichigo smiled.

"I think I'm going to get it. I haven't spent any of my pay from the café yet," Kyandi replied. She checked the price tag. "It's also really cheap: only five hundred yen. That makes sense, since the beads are plastic."

Kyandi paid for the necklace and the two girls left the store. They walked back to the café and changed back into their school clothes before leaving with their school bags in hand. They walked home together. "Thank you for calming me down, Kyandi-chan," Ichigo said as they walked on. "I need to remember to be grateful for the things that I do have, instead of getting angry over the things that I don't."

Kyandi felt a little bit embarrassed. "No problem."

"Oh, this is your house," Ichigo said with a smile. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, Kyandi-chan!" Ichigo waved as she ran, leaving Kyandi behind.

"See you tomorrow, friend," Kyandi muttered quietly as she raised a hand in reply. The girl with the caramel brown hair sighed and walked through the door with a smile on her face. But the smile soon vanished.

"You're late again!" Jack Coffman roared at his daughter. He raised his hand and slapped her across the face. "It's eight o'four! Where the h*ll were you?"

Kyandi Coffman was quickly reminded why she didn't make friends.

* * *

**Author: 1) 'Doki-doki' means 'excited in a way that makes the heart race'.**


	11. A Sneaky Alien & A Secretive Mew

**Author: The next song on Kyandi's playlist is "Anything But Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne.**

**So sorry about the mix-up! Littlespottedcat told me that I had accidentally put up a Hunger Games chapter. I am sooo sorry! Here's the real one.**

* * *

It was Thursday. Ichigo was standing on the skywalk at school, thinking about the events of the past few days. She was really tired after all of that hunting for Mew Aqua. She really wished that she could spend some more time with Aoyama-kun, but Kyandi had reminded her that it could be possible for her to not have any love at all. She would be grateful for what she had.

"Ichigo?" a voice nearby called to her.

"Can't you see that I'm thinking?" she grumbled and whirled to face… "Aoyama-kun!" she exclaimed. "Ah, how embarrassing," she blushed and began to run away. Suddenly, the world blurred in front of her. And then, it went black.

* * *

"Ichigo! Ichigo!" Aoyama's voice called her back into the world. When she came to, she found that she was in his arms.

"Um, er, I felt dizzy there for a second. I'm fine now," she said, blushing.

"You must be sick," he deduced. "Come on." He hugged her closer to him. "We're going to the nurse."

He carried her past throngs of students that immediately began to gossip as they passed. Ichigo blushed as they passed Moe and Miwa, some of her best friends from school. Some girls glared at them. It was too much for Ichigo. "P- Put me down. I can go by myself."

"No," Masaya replied sternly.

"Ichigo-chan!" another voice called. Ichigo turned to see Kyandi walking next to her. "Ichigo, are you alright?"

"Kyandi-chan! Your face!" Ichigo gasped.

Kyandi touched her cheek, embarrassed. She had forgotten about the bruise. She frowned and dropped her hand. "Look Ichigo, I'm fine. You're obviously the one that needs carrying somewhere! What happened?"

"I- I passed out for a second," Ichigo admitted.

"You what?" Kyandi exclaimed. It was a rather comical scene with Kyandi's walking next to Masaya Aoyama and ignoring him in concern for her friend. Kyandi's eyes darkened considerably. "Shirogane," she growled through clenched teeth.

"What about Shirogane?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

"This is his fault. He's been pushing us too hard. D*mn him!" Kyandi hissed.

"It's not Shirogane-san's fault," Ichigo told her, trying to calm Kyandi down.

"Isn't Shirogane your boss, Ichigo?" Masaya asked her.

"Y- Yes," Ichigo stuttered.

"I see," Masaya replied, his eyes darkening as well.

"It isn't Shirogane-san's fault! I just didn't sleep good last night. That's all," Ichigo sputtered.

"Oh, is that all?" Masaya confirmed. "Thank goodness. I'm so relieved." He smiled. "But, you're still going to the nurse."

"I'm coming too," Kyandi nodded resolutely. She gave Masaya a fishy look. "I have to make sure that _you_ don't try anything."

Both Ichigo and Masaya blushed profusely. "A- A- Aoyama-kun wouldn't do something like _that_!" Ichigo protested.

"Ichigo, he is a _guy_," Kyandi retorted.

* * *

In the nurse's office, the doctor was out. "See?" Kyandi insisted. "There's nobody here. He probably planned this!"

Masaya sat Ichigo down on the bed before turning to face Kyandi. "I must ask for you to stop saying such strange things," he told her. Kyandi humphed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Masaya checked to see if Ichigo had a fever (she didn't), found a cell phone on the floor and asked Ichigo if it was hers (it was), and found out the name of Ichigo's favorite band (Candy 5) before the nurse came in. Then he left.

The nurse checked Ichigo over and said that she was fine. Kyandi was still sulking by the door. "I still say that the only reason he brought you in here was so he could play 'doctor' with you."

"K- Kyandi-chan!" Ichigo blushed.

"Can I help you?" the nurse asked Kyandi. "Oh, you have a bruise on your face! Please, sit down." The nurse gestured to one of the beds.

"Actually, I'm fine. I just took a bit of a spill on the stairs this morning. I face-planted. It was pretty embarrassing and everything," Kyandi lied. She even managed to summon a bit of a blush. "It's nothing a little concealer can't fix," she added, scratching her head nervously.

The nurse frowned. "Nonsense. This school is responsible for the health and welfare of its students. Now sit down."

Kyandi awkwardly ambled over to the bed while Ichigo took out her cell phone and texted a thank-you to Masaya. Once Kyandi had sat down, the nurse began to examine her face. Her eyes grew sad as she recognized a pattern in the bruise on Kyandi's cheek. Up close, anyone could tell that it was really caused by a hand. "Where did you say that you got this bruise again?" the nurse asked her.

"I- I told you, I face-planted on the stairs this morning," Kyandi lied again.

Ichigo looked up at the nervousness in her friend's voice. _"Kyandi-chan is nervous about something? That's impossible! Maybe she just doesn't like doctors?"_

The nurse looked at Kyandi with a painful expression. "Now dear, we both know that the stairs didn't cause a nasty mark like that."

"I – I…" Kyandi began, but stopped. She choked back the tears. No. It would be too much if they spilled over now. It would give her away and ruin everything.

Ichigo looked at Kyandi in concern. _"If she didn't fall on the stairs, what else could have caused a bruise like that? She was fine when I left her last night…. It couldn't have been Kisshu, could it? He's been to her house at night before! No wonder she can't tell the nurse…"_

Kyandi steeled her blue gaze. "Are you calling me a liar?" she yelled at the nurse. "Don't insult me!" She stood up and stormed out of the nurse's office, a very concerned Ichigo right on her heels.

The nurse sighed as the girls left. _"So many cases of child abuse go unreported," _she mused. _"But really, there's nothing I can do, is there?"_

* * *

Ichigo followed Kyandi down the hall. "Kyandi-chan, I'm so sorry. Kisshu did that to you, didn't he? He came over to your house last night and you got into a fight. Then he hit you, didn't he?" Ichigo inquired.

"_Kisshu?" _Kyandi wondered. _"Where did she get that idea? Although, I suppose he has been to my house before. And that would explain why I didn't want to tell the nurse…"_ Kyandi turned to Ichigo. "Yeah, it was him. You understand why I didn't tell her, right?"

Ichigo nodded. Kyandi nodded back, glad for the excuse.

* * *

At the café on Saturday, Ichigo apologized to Ryou for being so harsh on him. Ryou said that it was okay, since she was probably tired. Ichigo was in the middle of cheering up the other mews and getting them ready to go look for more Mew Aqua. That was when her phone went off. She answered, "Hello?" Suddenly, her eyes lit up a kilowatt. "Aoyama-kun! What's going on?... Today? Today is…"

"Everyone, we'll get out of work early in the evening today," Ryou announced. "We've been getting too tired recently. It's time for a break."

"Yeah, I'm free in the evening!" Ichigo exclaimed happily into the phone while smiling at Ryou. "Uh? Yes? At five?... Hello? Hello?... Ah! It says no service!"

"You know what?" Kyandi began. "I'd bet that he's taking you to that Candy 5 concert."

"Huh? What makes you say that?" Ichigo asked.

Kyandi winked. "I have ways of making the kendo team talk."

Ichigo beamed. "He's going to take me to see Candy 5?" When Kyandi nodded, Ichigo jumped into the air. "Yay! Everyone, let's hurry and search for the Mew Aqua quickly. I've got a date with Aoyama-kun!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the aliens' Chimera Moles were busy digging for Mew Aqua. "It seems that he's found one," Pai commented, looking at the observation screen. Taruto nodded and smiled.

Kisshu teleported into the room. "What's up?"

"Our Chimera Anima has found a Mew Aqua," Taruto informed him.

"Excellent," Kisshu grinned sinisterly.

"How about your cocoon?" Pai asked.

"It has perfect timing. The moth will hatch out before the mole reaches the Mew Aqua," Kisshu supplied. "I suppose that I'll go to Tokyo Tower and leave the Mew Aqua to you two." He began to walk away, but he turned his head, feeling Pai's eyes on his back. "What?"

"Nothing," Pai answered. "Let's begin the operation."

"Okay," Kisshu left.

Pai stared at the spot from which he had disappeared. _"It's not like Kisshu to want to stay away from the main point of a mission. And he's right. That cocoon does have perfect timing. It makes me wonder if he planned this to his advantage."_

* * *

Keiichiro sat and typed at his computer. "It's impossible to locate the Mew Aqua, after all," he surmised. Then, something shiny caught his eye. It was coming from Masha. He picked up the robot and examined it closely. "Masha, what is this luminary…?" He pulled a silken thread from Masha's fur. "Masha, where did you get this luminous thread?"

"A tall tower. A tall tower," Masha answered. He related the earlier events to Keiichiro.

"At the top of Tokyo Tower? Something like a cocoon? Don't tell me it's a…!" Keiichiro stared at the thread in alarm.

* * *

The Mews and Ryou were walking through the sewer. Kyandi's bruise still hadn't healed, and she had attached her Mew pendant to the necklace that she had bought from the jewelry store, so that she would never lose it. She now wore that necklace around her neck, the pendant of which began to flash.

"_Everyone, this is Akasaka," _came a voice from the pendant. _"Can you hear me?"_

"Yes, we can," Kyandi replied. Everyone stopped to listen.

"_Good. I need you to go to Tokyo Tower. I'm headed there now. I'll meet you all there," _he said.

"What happened?" Ryou demanded.

"_Masha found a highly toxic cocoon,"_ was Keiichiro's reply.

"Eh? What does that mean?" Ichigo asked.

"_It's probably a Chimera Anima of an enormous moth. I'm afraid that the adult moth will hatch today. Stop it no matter what. If we fail, all of Tokyo will be destroyed."_

* * *

At the top of Tokyo Tower, Kisshu appraised his moth cocoon. "It's show time," he smiled wickedly.

* * *

Beneath the ground, Pai and Taruto appeared next to a Chimera Mole. "As expected," Pai observed. "It's in the loamy layer."

"Hey, can I go to Tokyo Tower?" Taruto asked.

"For what?"

"It looks like it will be fun," the kid smiled.

"You have to be more practical if you want to succeed. Don't be like Kisshu; he's frivolous," Pai lectured Taruto. "Now," he commanded the Chimera, "find the Mew Aqua."

* * *

The Mews and Ryou ran together toward Tokyo Tower. Something was bothering Kyandi, and she wondered if anyone else felt it too. _"Tokyo Tower? Why would they put it in such a noticeable place?"_

When they arrived, everyone stared up at the building. "Where is the cocoon, na-no-da?" Bu-Ling asked.

"This building is just too big!" Minto exclaimed.

Kyandi turned as she heard a car approaching. "Akasaka-san," she said when he got out of the vehicle.

"Everyone, we have little time left. The cocoon is on the lightning rod on the roof," he explained in a rush.

"Welcomes, ladies!" cooed a sinister voice in a rather happy tone. Kisshu appeared above their heads, close to the edge of the tower.

"Wah! You again, na-no-da!" Bu-Ling shouted.

"Kisshu!" Ichigo gasped fearfully.

"I thought you'd come here," he chortled. "You are so predictable."

"Don't tell me that this is just a ploy to divert our attention," Kyandi huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "And let me guess… You guys found Mew Aqua somewhere and are trying to obtain it while we're distracted?"

"The moth will hatch soon," Kisshu taunted. "What are you going to do?" He then flew up toward the top of the tower.

Ryou cringed. "Attack! Diversion or not, that cocoon must be destroyed." The Mews nodded in agreement.

"Mew Mew Mint, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Lettuce, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Pudding, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Zakuro, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Strawberry, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Candy, METAMORPHOSIS!"

* * *

**Author: Ah. The ever-evil cliff hanger. Mwahahaha! Oh. No footnotes this time. What should I put to fill their place? How about an interview? Alright everyone, please welcome, Kisshu Ikisatashi.**

**Kisshu: Where the heck am I? I thought I was at Tokyo Tower…**

**Author: (to audience) You're on an interview show! (to Kisshu) Just roll with it.**

**Kisshu: What the heck is this? I'm supposed to be carrying out my plan right now. You're ruining everything! (glares at host)**

**Author: Stop glaring at me. Sheesh… I wonder if your fangirls know how mean you are in person.**

**Kisshu: Put me back in the story! (Threateningly holds sai swords above head and summons energy ball)**

**Author: Gah! Okay! You were supposed to get their minds off of the evil cliff hanger. You're just drawing more attention to it. Fine. Here. Go! Get the heck out of here for all I care…**

**Phew… he's scary. It's kind of hot from far away, but close up… (shivers). Anyways, until next time all of my faithful readers, take care.**


	12. The Battle At Tokyo Tower

**Author: The next song on Kyandi's playlist is "Nobody's Perfect" by Hannah Montana. (SonicXMinagirl, just deal with it.)**

* * *

Jack Coffman stood in the liquor store, battling with his fears. All of his life, Jack Coffman had never felt like anyone loved him. His parents had always argued and had never really given him the time of day. Over time, Jack Coffman came to feel as though love didn't exist. Ever since then, he had always feared being hurt and left alone. As he stared at the whisky bottle on the shelf, the images of his life ran through his brain.

There was his wedding to Samantha. She walked down the aisle with her swollen belly. He had finally consented to marry her when they had realized that she was pregnant. Now she stood before him, and they said their vows. Jack smiled ironically as he remembered the words, "Until death do we both part". Her lips had said those words. And years later, they uttered, "I want a divorce," as her hands gave him a stack of papers. Jack shook his head as he grabbed a whisky bottle and put in into his basket.

Then, another memory began to form. After five hours of hearing his wife moan and scream and cry, a different sound permeated the hospital room. His daughter's first cry was a beautiful, melodic sound to him. He realized that someone finally depended on him. He would never have to worry about being left alone again; this little baby needed him. He smiled and laughed as he held her up for her mother to see. They named her Candi. She grew up so fast. She transformed from a sweet little girl into a defiant teenager who always sided with her mother. So, Jack decided to take his daughter somewhere too far for her mother to reach. But it didn't seem to do any good. Candi still disobeyed him. Jack was afraid that he would lose her sooner than he expected. He vented his frustrations on the one who caused them, but it didn't take long for that to no longer be enough. He reached onto the shelf and grabbed another bottle.

* * *

"Ribbon! STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!" Mew Strawberry attacked the cocoon. She landed on the tower's observation deck where the rest of her teammates waited. She gasped. "That didn't do anything to it!"

"Of course not," Mew Candy snorted. "Caterpillars trust their lives to those things. Do you think that they're going to be easily broken?"

"What will you Mew Mews do now?" Kisshu cackled.

"Pudding will try now, na-no-da!" Mew Pudding sang gleefully.

"Don't," Mew Zakuro commanded firmly. "That's his plan. He wants us to use all of our energy to fight it before it hatches. That won't do any good. We'll play right into his hands." Pudding nodded at the oldest member of the Mew Mew team.

They all stood in silence for a long while. It was very awkward, and it made Candy antsy. She began to fidget with one of the feathers in her tail.

Kisshu broke the awkward silence as a chilling wind blew by. "It's refreshing to stand at this altitude, isn't it?"

"It's freezing!" Mint snapped, shivering.

"I'm cold…" Lettuce admitted while rubbing her hands over her arms in an attempt to stay warm.

"Yeah, it is refreshing!" Pudding responded happily.

"Pudding!" Strawberry exclaimed.

Kisshu took in Candy's face and raised an eyebrow. "Oy, Mew Candy," he called out. She glanced up at him, and he smiled. "That must have been one heck of a battle with Taruto and that Chimera Mole last week if you still have a bruise. I'm sorry I missed it." He was confused when she blushed.

"Don't even joke about that!" Strawberry yelled at him. "We both know who caused that bruise, and it wasn't Taruto or any Chimera Anima."

Kisshu put a hand on his hip and gave the pink mew a dubious look. "What are you talking about, kitten?" After a long pause, he inferred her meaning. "Are you trying to imply that _I_ caused that bruise, kitten?" Kisshu laughed. "Nope, it wasn't me. Sorry to disappoint you." He appraised Mew Candy again and was slightly intrigued by the nervous look on her face. "Maybe your comrade has been lying to you," he added.

"Shut up!" Mew Strawberry retorted. "Candy has no reason to lie to me!"

Zakuro glanced over at Candy and noticed the same thing that Kisshu had.

At that moment, the cell phones of both Strawberry and Candy began to ring. Strawberry pulled out her phone and smiled at the name that lit up the screen. Candy brought out her iPhone and cringed at the display. They both went to answer when…

"Dragon Swords!" Kisshu summoned and threw one sai at each of their phones. His projectiles hit their intended targets, and both phones shattered into pieces before the swords dissolved. The mechanical bits of cell phone fell to the deck, and both girls stared at their destroyed treasures in utter shock. "The show is about to begin," Kisshu announced. "Please switch off your mobile."

Mew Strawberry whirled to glare at Kisshu. She began to worry and mutter to herself. The person that had been calling was Masaya Aoyama.

Mew Candy's peacock tail seemed to wilt behind her as she dropped to her knees and stared at the shattered pieces of her iPhone. Her mouth tried, but couldn't form words. She choked back the tears. She wasn't sad; she was afraid. The image on her phone's display just before it shattered flashed through her mind. The screen was lit up with a single word: Dad. Other images began to flash through her mind as her imagination created a future that made her tremble inwardly. Mew Candy shuddered once before doing what she did best: transforming that fear into anger. But this time, there was too much fear for it to qualify as mere anger. Mew Candy became the picture of pure rage. Her face set into a fierce scowl; Candy rose to her feet and glared up at Kisshu. It was a look that would have killed him, if that were possible.

Kisshu raised his eyebrows, partly from amusement and partly from fear, as he looked down at the face of the peacock mew.

Candy's yell wasn't excessively loud, but it carried enough emotion to be extremely powerful. "I am a girl. There are three things of mine that you are not allowed to touch: my boobs, my butt, and _my phone!_"

The other mews stared at Candy in shock. "Candy Harp!" she summoned before leaping into the air. She aimed her weapon directly at Kisshu. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!"

Kisshu barely managed to duck out of the path of her attack in time. The gust of wind slammed into Tokyo Tower hard enough to crack glass. "Baka! Stay still!" Candy hollered at him.

"Candy!" Zakuro shouted as Candy landed back on the observation deck. "Don't fight now. We need to save our energy for when the moth hatches."

"You said not to attack the cocoon," Candy panted in a slightly crazed voice. "I'm not attacking the cocoon. I'm attacking _Kisshu._"

"It's still a waste of your energy!" Zakuro insisted.

"It won't be if I kill him," Candy grumbled before leaping upward again.

Kisshu dodged three attacks before Candy growled in frustration and jumped once more. This time, she grabbed hold of his leg. He gasped in surprise as she climbed up his appendage and wrapped her arms around his waist. Kisshu blushed a little bit, wondering what she was going to do, while Candy quickly clambered up his body. He got his answer when she took her harp and hit him over the head with it repeatedly.

"Ouch! Get off!" Kisshu began to push at her.

"I'm going to crush your head like you crushed my phone!" she screamed.

Kisshu blushed again as he realized that Candy's cleavage was right in his face. He stared. Candy caught him staring, and she scoffed in disapproval. "Pervert!" she accused as she clapped him over the head with her harp once more.

"The moth!" Lettuce shouted from below. "It's hatching!"

* * *

"It still hasn't found it yet?" Taruto asked impatiently.

"Something about this is strange," Pai mumbled.

"Huh? How so?" Taruto questioned.

"Are we sure that this Chimera Anima detected Mew Aqua?" Pai responded. "He's not digging in a constant direction."

"But Kisshu said-" Taruto didn't get to finish his sentence because the Chimera Anima resurfaced.

"He seems to have found it," Pai said cautiously.

"I want to see it," Taruto grinned.

The Chimera Anima showed his masters his prize: three blue crystals. Pai took them and examined them before throwing them on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Taruto asked in shock.

"These are nothing but common gems!" Pai exclaimed. "I was right. Kisshu did something. That idiot! What the heck is he thinking?"

The Chimera Mole made some grunting noises, and Pai glared at it in disgust. He summoned his fan. "You're worthless!" he shouted as he destroyed the creature.

* * *

The cocoon burst and the Chimera Moth broke free with a horrid, high-pitched roar. The Mews covered their ears. Candy had to let go of Kisshu and dropped to the deck in agony at the sound.

"Now! Let's get it before it flies away!" Zakuro urged. She summoned her weapon. "Zakuro's Whip! Ribbon! ZAKURO'S PURE!" Her whip wrapped around the Chimera's neck and held it in place while the other girls attacked.

"Ribbon! PUDDING RING INFERNO!"

"Ribbon! LETTUCE RUSH!"

"Ribbon! MINT ECHO!"

The Chimera Anima fell. It was falling rapidly toward the observation deck where Mew Candy was standing. Candy noticed and gasped, but she wasn't able to move out of the way in time. The monster landed on top of her. Suddenly, it felt like the floor was crumbling away beneath her. And then everything went black.

* * *

When Mew Candy awoke, she heard a voice shouting somewhere in the distance. "Come on out, Mew Aqua!" it sang in triumph. There was only one thing wrong with it, and that thing caused Candy to sit up in alarm. The voice belonged to Kisshu.

Mew Candy realized that she was inside the floor beneath the observation deck. She stood up, coughing. She felt horrible.

Then, slowly, a blue light came and shone through the shattered window. As it did, Candy noticed that she instantly felt better, like some miraculous healing had occurred. She squinted and looked at the light. There was a small orb right in its center. Was this… Was this Mew Aqua? If it was, this was what Kisshu wanted. She frowned. She couldn't let him have it, no matter what! _"Oh great… Shirogane's drama is contagious,"_ she thought as she ran toward the window.

She leapt out of the window. She was surprised when she ended up slamming into Kisshu, who had been chasing the Mew Aqua with Mew Strawberry hot on his heels. Mew Candy crashed into him, wrecking his flight path and causing both of them to fall rapidly toward the ground. Kisshu gasped in surprise before hovering in place, saving both him and Mew Candy from a deadly impact.

Mew Strawberry slammed into the Mew Aqua and landed on a lower observation deck. Of course, as a cat-girl, she landed on her feet. But as she landed, the orb of Mew Aqua seemed to repel her away as if she were a magnet with a similar charge. "Please, Mew Aqua!" she pleaded as she groped forward, unable to reach it.

"Ichigo, use this!" Ryou shouted as he threw some sort of briefcase at her. The briefcase opened and the stone scepter that it contained flew out.

Mew Strawberry caught the scepter and held it. "This… This is…" She closed her eyes, and the words came like magic again. "Mew Aqua Rod! Shine!" The orb of Mew Aqua entered the scepter, and the weapon was transformed into a gold and bejeweled object. "Ribbon! AQUA DROPS!" Strawberry waved the scepter around, and drops of Mew Aqua began to radiate outward from the rod's center. She spun, rising as she did so, and more drops of Mew Aqua rained down from the sky.

Candy had no idea what was happening, but it sure was pretty. Kisshu gasped at all of the Mew Aqua that was appearing. "Get off!" he pushed at Candy. "Let go! Let go! You'll ruin everything!" he growled.

Candy raised an eyebrow. She didn't understand why that would ruin everything. It seemed kind of like he had already lost. But still, if she had a chance to ruin her enemy's plan, she might as well. "No," she replied smartly.

"Suit yourself," Kisshu smirked. He began to teleport around rapidly, entering and exiting portals entirely too fast for anyone who wasn't used to traveling that way.

Mew Candy began to feel nauseous. "Ugh. Now I'm just going to puke on you…" she mumbled.

Kisshu smirked again and pushed her off of him. She came off easily now that she was too disoriented to think. She landed on the partially destroyed observation deck.

Kisshu vanished and reappeared at a higher altitude. Pai and Taruto appeared beside him. "Kisshu, what are you doing?" Pai asked angrily.

Kisshu only growled and opened a portal, vanishing again. But this portal, he left open. Mew Aqua flooded through it and into the alternate dimension. Pai and Taruto gasped at his actions.

Candy observed the events going on above her head with a keen, although slightly dizzy, mind. "Oh crap," she muttered under her breath. "We just gave them Mew Aqua."

* * *

**Author: No footnotes this chapter either. Let's do another interview! Please welcome to the stage, Minto Aizawa.**

**Minto: How did I get here? Aren't I supposed to be at Tokyo Tower?**

**Author: Don't worry about it. You're currently inside a hole in the time-space continuum. Nothing is happening in your world while you're sitting here, so don't freak out like Kisshu did, okay?**

**Minto: (irked) What was that about the scum of the earth?**

**Author: Oh, wow. You're going to get trampled by an army of angry fangirls…**

**Minto: He's technically not even from Earth. So, he wouldn't be the scum of the earth. He would be the scum of… Lovatron, or wherever it is that these aliens come from.**

**Author: Enough about Kisshu! What do you think of Kyandi?**

**Minto: She's amusing.**

**Author: So… you like her?**

**Minto: No. She's amusing, like Bu-Ling is amusing. She does things to annoy people, and I happen to find it funny on occasion. **

**Author: So, you think that she's childish?**

**Minto: I suppose that one could think of it in that way, yes.**

**Author: Get. Out.**

**Minto: What did I say?**

**Author: GET OUT!**

**Also, thanks to tgwWhale for the 'Lovatron' thing. I figured that you might enjoy seeing it somewhere besides your own stories.**


	13. Blown Away

**Author: The next song on Kyandi's playlist is "Blown Away" by Carrie Underwood.**

* * *

Kisshu bowed before Deep Blue. Pai and Taruto appeared behind him. "Kisshu, what have you done?" Pai demanded.

Kisshu ignored Pai and looked up at his deity. "I will awaken you, Deep Blue-sama, with the power of the Mew Aqua."

* * *

Jack Coffman took another swig out of the whisky bottle as one more memory passed through his mind. Today, he had opened an e-mail from his former mother-in-law.

_Dear Jack,_

_You know how much I despise you. As a matter of fact, if things were different I would not be telling you this. However, I will tell you for Candi's sake, so that she may know what has become of her mother._

_Samantha is dead. She was pronounced as such around two in the morning. I'm not sure about the time differences, but I assume that it is evening over there. I was by her side as she passed, and I stayed awake in order to write this. _

_Her health had been failing again recently. Her frequent illness made it impossible for her to obtain a decent insurance plan. And so, when she went to the hospital this time, she didn't come out. Of course, you should know that I blame you for this. If the two of you had stayed together like honorable people, she would still be insured by your work's fringe benefits and would have been able to pay for her treatment. Then at least the hospital staff might have tried._

_Please let Candi know that I love her and I miss her._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Meredith Thorne_

Jack emptied the whisky bottle and sat it on the floor.

* * *

Joshua Robertson reclined on the bed in the suite that he had all to himself. He stared at the large, plasma screen TV that hung on the wall. He was watching some kind of Japanese game show when a news bulletin flashed across the screen. "We interrupt this programming for a special news report on the Tokyo Mew Mews," the female reporter announced.

Joshu sat up and actually began to pay attention. "'Mew Mew'… That's what Candi's friend said…" he mumbled to himself in English. He stared at the screen as a picture of five animal girls in sexy outfits appeared.

"Tokyo Mew Mew, the defenders of justice, has been protecting the city for the past few months. Nobody knows where these super ladies came from, but we are grateful for their help. Today, we have footage from their battle at Tokyo Tower, where they have saved the city from the flying men once again." Clips of each of the girls attacking flashed across the screen. "And this just in," the woman continued, "it appears that Mew Mew has a new member." A clip showed a girl in a teal dress with a train of peacock feathers beating a weird looking guy on the head with what very much looked like a harp. "Her name has not yet been confirmed, but rumors say that the new super lady's name is Mew Candy."

"Candi!" Joshu exclaimed. He got an evil grin on his face as the reporter's voice continued to drone on. "Checkmate," he whispered.

* * *

Kyandi Coffman was late getting home. She grimaced as she walked up the path to her front door. She pushed the door open, and something terrible greeted her eyes. An empty whisky bottle sat on the table near the entrance. _"Oh no. He's been drinking,"_ she realized.

"Why the h*ll are you so late?" his slurred voice echoed from the living room. Kyandi timidly walked a little closer, hoping to slip past quickly and make it to her room. "Why the h*ll didn't you answer your phone?" he bellowed again.

"I'm sorry. I dropped it, and it broke," Kyandi said tonelessly.

"Don't be a smart *ss! You get over here, now," he grumbled.

Kyandi wilted with every step, but she obeyed.

Jack Coffman looked up at her with blood-shot eyes. "I got an e-mail from your grandma today."

Kyandi wrinkled her brow, wondering if he might actually let her go scot-free for once.

"Your mother died," he hiccupped.

Kyandi stared at him in shock. She blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "You're lying."

"What did you just say?" her father roared, standing up.

She winced at her blunder, but she did it again. "You're drunk. You're lying. You don't know what you're saying!"

"The h*ll I don't!" he snapped as his hand clapped against her bruised cheek.

"Stop! Stop!" she pleaded as she unsuccessfully tried to force down the tears.

"You don't get to order me around. I'm the parent here!" he groused as he removed his belt.

Crack! Kyandi Coffman was a scared child cowering in the corner, wailing. Crack! Kyandi Coffman was a cynical teenager, standing in the corner, telling love that it didn't exist. Crack! Kyandi Coffman was a wounded animal backed into a corner with no choice but to fight for her life.

As she lay collapsed on the floor with three new bruises forming on her body, she clutched the pendant around her neck. She was sick of this. "Mew Mew Candy, METAMORPHOSIS!"

Her father blinked in confusion as she reappeared as Mew Candy. Her tears stopped falling. "You can't beat me up anymore," she whimpered. "I'm stronger than you."

She held out her hand. "Candy Harp." She pointed it at her poor excuse for a father. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!"

Jack Coffman slammed into the couch. "The only thing that I regret about this," Candy said as her father opened his blood-shot eyes to look at her, "is that you're drunk off your behind and won't remember this tomorrow."

She dissolved her transformation and glared at him with eyes as blue and as cold as ice. Then, she retreated down the hallway and into her bedroom.

* * *

Kisshu teleported right outside Kyandi's window, standing in the bushes. The peacock mew had obviously lied to her allies, and he wanted to know why. Of course, getting this information would mean faking concern and romantic attraction.

When he looked inside, he was surprised to discover that she wasn't in her room. He heard yelling, and followed the sound. Peering through the living room window, invisible like always, he was shocked by what he saw.

Kyandi's father hit her with his belt: once, twice and again. Kisshu's golden eyes widened as he realized that something similar had probably caused the bruise on her cheek. Was this why she had lied? _"Pai was right to assume that her father would not be a key weakness, but not because she is a noble person. If he treats her this way, she probably would have laughed in our faces and told us to go ahead and kill him."_

His eyes widened again as Kyandi transformed and returned like with like. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" Kisshu flinched as the man flew backwards into the couch. Kisshu heard her admit her only regret. As Kyandi changed back into herself, he shook his head in dismay. Then, he watched silently as she walked down the hall before teleporting outside of her window again.

* * *

Her pendant flashed. "Kyandi, what the heck was that?" Ryou's voice crackled over the communication waves. "I just picked up the energy from your transformation and attack. What happened?"

"Just a little monster problem," Kyandi answered. "I handled it." To her, this wasn't a lie. Her father was a monster.

"You just lied to them again," said a voice behind her.

In shock, she whirled around. "What are you doing here?" she spat as she stared at Kisshu.

"I came to make sure I didn't hurt you too badly in that battle," he lied. "The moth landed on top of you, right?" His face contorted into a false, albeit very convincing, mask of concern. "I'm surprised that you survived that."

Kyandi Coffman was very familiar with masks. Her father always wore them in public. Truthfully, she did as well. Oh yes, she was very familiar with masks. So, she was able to put one on herself very easily. Her own cold visage dissolved into something that mixed confusion and relief. "Thank you," she replied. "But I mean… I'm kind of used to getting beat up."

Kisshu's amber eyes filled with sympathy, and even to the girl so familiar with masks, it looked real. _"Oh, he is good at this,"_ she observed.

"I can see that," he said quietly.

"What do you mean by that?" she snapped, unable to control herself.

"I saw everything," he admitted. "What I don't understand is why you told Ichigo that I caused that bruise." He pointed to her left cheek where the bruise had turned red from being aggravated by that second, powerful slap.

"Because it's remotely believable," she replied while rubbing her left arm with her right hand. She flinched when her hand touched her elbow, the site of one of the newest bruises.

"They wouldn't believe you if you told them the truth? Why?" Kisshu inquired, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"They wouldn't… because…" she stared down at the ground and fought the tears. "Family isn't supposed to do this to family."

Kisshu raised his other eyebrow to match, creating a condescending look. "That's all the more reason to tell them, isn't it?"

Kyandi was speechless. She knew that he was right, but something prevented her from admitting it. This was the same something that prevented her from telling anyone about this. What was it? What was it? If only she knew! Then maybe she could rid herself of it and break free, like her mom did. _"Oh no… Mom…"_ Her eyes filled with tears. And this time, she didn't have the strength to force them down. She collapsed to her knees, wincing as the bruise on her right shin made contact with the floor, and cried.

Kisshu looked shocked. But still, this was his chance! She was vulnerable. It would work. He moved in closer and knelt in front of her, gently folding his arms around her. "Shh. It's alright. Please, don't cry. I can't bear to see you cry," he cooed. He rubbed her back, and she grimaced when his hand brushed her third new bruise. "It's okay."

"My mother died today! How could anything possibly be okay?" she bawled, returning his hug and burying her face into his shoulder.

Kisshu stiffened at this new information. This little peacock mew certainly was having a bad day. "Ah," he mumbled. "Don't worry about that too much. It will get better someday."

This wasn't the kind of thing that Kyandi wanted to hear right now. "Oh, how would you know?" she asked in an accusing tone, beginning to pull away from him.

Kisshu pursed his lips and closed his eyes. When his lips parted again, he spoke. "Both of my parents are dead."

Kyandi froze right where she was, half in and half out of his arms. "Are… Are you serious?"

Kisshu nodded solemnly and gave a small, dark chuckle. "What would be the point of lying about something like that?"

"_Gaining my empathy and trust…"_ Kyandi thought, but she didn't say it.

* * *

When Kisshu Ikisatashi was three years old, his name was Kisshu Okumi. He and his parents lived in a notoriously unstable area of his home planet's underground city. One day, there was a cave-in. It had happened so fast that there was no time to open a portal. Both of his parents flung themselves on top of their only child, shielding him from the falling rocks. That was the day that they died. Kisshu had been trapped under their dead bodies for three days before he was found and brought to the orphanage.

When he was five years old, Kisshu was adopted by the Ikisatashi family. Pai was eight at the time, and Mrs. Ikisatashi would soon discover that she was pregnant with Taruto. Kisshu was constantly making trouble as a child, but no one ever scolded him. "Take it easy on the boy," everyone would say. "He's had a very tragic past. He doesn't need to be given any more grief."

Little did his family, friends and neighbors know, they were setting him up for failure. Any child, no matter his past, needs to have rules and boundaries set for him. Such things help them to learn their place in society, and ultimately make them feel loved as they learn that such regulations only exist for their protection. As Kisshu grew older, he began to see the lack of restrictions as a lack of concern on the part of those around him.

"_Would they care if I got hurt? Would they admonish me for doing something foolish that endangers others? Everyone else has rules… Why not me? There has to be a line that I'm not allowed to cross. If nobody will tell me what it is, then I'll find it myself!"_ These were his thoughts on the matter.

And so, Kisshu Ikisatashi began to push the envelope. He began to cross invisible boundaries. And no one ever thought to stop him. He grew more and more selfish. In his mind, nobody looked after his best interests. So why should he look after theirs? He would pick fights with other boys in the neighborhood when he was ten. And when he turned twelve and noticed that some girls started taking interest in some his companions (he had now stopped using the word "friend"), he became angry, wondering why none of them developed a crush on _him_. He tried to force the girls' affections, but it never worked. He didn't understand. _"Is there something about me that is completely unlovable?"_ The answer seemed to be a resounding, "yes".

So, when he was fourteen, he signed himself up for the Earth Recovery Project. No one had the heart to tell him that he wouldn't be able to do it alone. In truth, the only person that could ever handle Kisshu was Pai. And even then, that was only eighty percent of the time. There were times when Kisshu wouldn't listen to _anyone_, not even his older brother. This was one of those times.

When he was fifteen, Kisshu had finished training. He went to Earth. Once there, he continued to push the envelope and attempted to force his affections on one particular pink mew. He truly only did these things in hopes that someone might stop him before he went too far. And when Ichigo dealt out her first punishment for his actions on that day in the amusement park, citing it as such before she began, he finally thought that someone might care about him. He was unaware that the only emotion Ichigo held for him was hatred.

* * *

In truth, Kisshu Ikisatashi was no more than an insecure child begging for attention. Kisshu Ikisatashi wasn't anything more than an animal that had been left to fend for himself at too early of an age. Really, Kisshu Ikisatashi was nothing more than a disbelieving teenager, sulking in the corner and daring love to prove its existence.

As different as they both were, Kyandi Coffman and Kisshu Ikisatashi were actually one and the same.

As Kyandi talked to Kisshu that evening, she was unaware that Ryou hadn't turned off the communication line on her pendant.

* * *

**Author: No footnotes this chapter either. This chapter was really long, so I'm also skipping the interview this time.**


	14. Top Secret

**Author: The next song on Kyandi's playlist is "Top Secret" by Hatsune Miku. This song is in Japanese, as Kyandi has experienced both American and Japanese cultures. There are translations for this song on YouTube.**

* * *

Kisshu stayed in Kyandi's room for a while longer. Eventually, Kisshu got bored with just sitting there, holding her. He leaned in to give her a kiss, but she stopped him by placing a finger over his lips and shaking her head.

"Not yet, mister," she teased. "You have to earn your reward. I don't give kisses for free."

Kisshu raised his eyebrows and playfully nipped at her finger, causing her to gasp in shock. Then he smiled. "Is that a rule, or a challenge?"

Kyandi pondered his question for a moment before hesitantly answering, "Both?" At Kisshu's dubious expression, she nodded and affirmed, "Both."

"Why both, Kyandi-chan?" he purred seductively, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against hers. She met his eyes with her own, and Kisshu was awestruck by that ice-blue hue. Her eyes reminded him of Mew Aqua.

As Kyandi stared into Kisshu's exotically beautiful golden eyes, she grinned broadly. "Well, something tells me that you are the kind of person who has no qualms about breaking rules. However, you don't strike me as the type that would back down from a challenge. So, if I challenge you to follow a rule, then it is simultaneously a rule and a challenge, neh?"

Kisshu blinked and something shifted within his eyes. Finally, someone had set a boundary for him not to cross. Still, he wanted to see if she would punish him if he broke that rule. However, doing that would cause him to lose her challenge. _"Oh, she is too good at this,"_ he concluded. With a smile, he backed away and stood. "Alright, peacock. You'll get away with it this time, only because I'm in a good mood." He turned toward the window, as if leaving, and began to hover in its direction.

Kyandi snorted. "Of course you're in a good mood. You won today."

Kisshu stopped in midair. "Pardon?" he asked stoically, managing to hide his shock. _"How did she figure that out?"_

Kyandi stood too and made eye contact with him. "Don't think I didn't notice all of those blue bubbles following you into oblivion. I don't really understand why you need them, but I know that you certainly took a roundabout approach in order to get them. You make something garish appear and tricked us into believing that it was a decoy to distract us from your true intent, and it turns out that the bold display was merely a means by which you could obtain what you've been seeking this entire time. It was a rather brilliant plan." Kyandi gave a low chuckle. "I still kind of geeking out about it, honestly. Before today, I had no idea that you were capable of something like that." Kisshu stared at her, dumbfounded, as she continued. "What I want to know is: how did you know Strawberry's scepter would make millions of Mew Aqua drops? Heck, until today, I didn't even know that Strawberry _had_ a scepter. I'm not even sure that _she_ knew she had a scepter. It seems like it would be an awfully big gamble to make for something that you're not even sure would happen. So tell me, Mr. Devious, how did you do it?"

Kisshu smirked. He had actually managed to get her to admire him for something. Step One of his enticement plan was working out wonderfully. Although, he had figured that her admiration would have been for his drop-dead gorgeous looks, but whatever. Now for the second step, he would feed her some harmless information in order to deceive her into thinking that he trusted her… or underestimated her or anything that would get her to underestimate _him_. She wanted to know today's plan? No problem. It wasn't like he could use it again anyways. "I didn't know," he confessed. "Honestly, the scepter thing was a total surprise. My plan was to use Mew Strawberry like a… magnet of sorts. It didn't really have to be Strawberry, but she's the most easily provoked, so that's just how things worked out."

"Like a… magnet?" Kyandi asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"Of course," Kisshu rolled his eyes. "Pai and Taruto have been going about this in the wrong way. Mew Aqua isn't found. Mew Aqua _finds_. It can't be searched for. It _searches_. The natural inclination of Mew Aqua, for whatever reason there might be, is to seek out and make contact with Mew Mews. That's why I named the d*mned stuff Mew Aqua in the first place."

Kyandi made a stunned face. "_You_ named the Mew Aqua?"

Kisshu nodded. "Yes, I named it that, and that's why Pai and Taruto call it by that name. As for why your lot started doing it, I have no clue." Kisshu paused to glance at Kyandi, who seemed satisfied by his explanation. So, he continued with his story. "Mew Aqua searches for Mew Mews. I don't know why, but it does. So I used this fact to my advantage today. I figured that I'd lure it out of hiding, and then swoop in and grab it." He cut his eyes at the peacock mew. "However, _somebody_ tackled me and prevented me from reaching it in time."

Kyandi stifled the giggle that rose in her throat at his obvious disdain for her earlier intervention. She winked. "Well, somebody had to."

Kisshu smiled, quickly inverting his grin before she could notice. He managed to make a disappointed face. "Unfortunately, even though there were several drops of Mew Aqua, the power contained in the sum of the ones I collected is still only a fraction of that emitted by the whole. Most of the drops were used up to destroy the Chimera Anima and the pollution it caused. Even though I won today, I kind of lost. I didn't get all of it."

Kyandi grinned. She was pleased to think of it this way. She had thought that the aliens were merely using the Mew Mews like pawns, and that their resistance didn't do a thing. But they didn't get everything. However… there was one small problem. It caused her to frown. "So… what you're saying is: if we Mews didn't exist, you wouldn't be able to obtain any Mew Aqua at all."

Kisshu cackled. "If your lot didn't exist, we probably wouldn't even know that Mew Aqua exists. Mew Aqua is drawn to Mew Mews, after all. What would it be drawn to without you? Nothing. It would probably still be inactive, beneath the ground somewhere, waiting for something that didn't exist to call it to activity."

Kyandi rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. It seemed that Mew Mews were of no help after all. Sure, they kept the Chimera Animas from destroying the planet. But they were also the reason that the aliens now had Mew Aqua. It seemed like some unseen force was working against Kyandi and her comrades, and she stared at the floor and wondered how to stop it.

Still, she was glad that her secret mission to dig for information had been a success tonight. Kisshu probably thought that she was beginning to underestimate him, too. The rest of today had been horrible, but at least one thing was going perfectly. She turned her head back up, looking toward where Kisshu was standing. Empty air. He was gone.

* * *

That night, Kyandi cried herself to sleep. Her dad was mean. Her mom was dead. And being a Mew Mew seemed completely pointless. The tears soaked the pillow as the sobs racked her exhausted and battered body. With a life like this, what was the point of waking up?

* * *

The next morning, walking to the café, Kyandi wondered why she had let Kisshu comfort her at all. Weren't his actions the cause of her father's abuse last night? If he hadn't broken her iPhone, would that argument between father and daughter ever started? But Kyandi sighed. No. She couldn't hold it against Kisshu. Her father would have found some other reason. He always found a reason.

* * *

When Kyandi entered the café through the back, Ryou was the first person that she saw. "Kyandi, we need to talk," he told her. She followed him to the basement.

"I understand that you had a visitor last night," Ryou began.

"Huh? How did you know that?" Kyandi asked, somewhat surprised.

He pointed to the pendant that hung from its beaded chain. "Your communication device was still on."

She glanced down at the golden object. "Ah. I see." She unconsciously tugged at the fabric hiding her left elbow, remembering the cause of the bruise hidden there. Ryou had overheard her talking to Kisshu about it. She was busted. Kyandi Coffman pursed her lips sheepishly.

"I was able to gather a lot of data from listening in on your conversation. The aliens have some interesting theories about Mew Aqua," Ryou stated.

Kyandi held her breath. Hopefully he would go into some dramatic, science nerd rant, and she would get off scot-free.

"However, the intel that you've provided does not excuse your using your powers to attack your father," Ryou added with a frown.

Kyandi sighed in disappointment. So much for that ranting…

To Kyandi's surprise, Ryou didn't raise his voice. He began to lecture her in a rather calm tone. "From what I heard, it sounds like he asked for it. However, I don't appreciate the fact that you blatantly lied to me." He was silent for a long time. Then, he sighed. "I can't allow you to remain in a situation that causes you to use your powers so recklessly."

Kyandi looked up at him in surprise, and a small smile crept across his face. Ryou was protecting her, and he was being careful to use his words in a way that wouldn't embarrass her. She fought the tears that welled up with the tiny glimpse of hope. Bowing at the waist, she murmured, "Thank you," in English.

Ryou nodded. "Now, go home and pack the things you need. I'll be over to your house in an hour to pick you up. From now on, you'll be living here at the café with Keiichiro and me."

"Yes sir," Kyandi nodded. She rushed up the stairs, through the kitchen and out the back door. Her heart was singing as she ran. _"Mom,"_ she wondered as she ran, _"can you see me? I escaped too. He won't be able to hurt either of us anymore."_

* * *

In her room, Kyandi ransacked her closet for her suitcase. Finding the black box on wheels, she unzipped it and tossed some bras and panties inside. She rushed into the bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush. She shoved it into a zippy bag as she walked back to her room, and then threw the bag into her suitcase. She packed her blow dryer, her hair straightener, and her make-up. She took her deodorant and her arsenal of various perfumes. Then she added her box of hair accessories, and her jewelry box. Her suitcase was rather small, so it was now full. She zipped it shut and rummaged around in her closet again, this time pulling out a stylish black trunk. Into the trunk she put her school uniforms and her favorite outfits. As a last minute thought, she grabbed the spare set of bedding from her closet and added both it and the pillows from her bed. She managed to close the trunk by sitting on top of it and snapping the locks into place. "There," she said with a smile.

Jack Coffman wondered what his daughter was doing that was causing such a racket. He peered into her bedroom and frowned when he saw that she had been packing her suitcase and her trunk. "What the h*ll are you doing?" he grumbled.

Kyandi gasped when she saw him standing there. She was caught. She gulped fearfully, but there was no point in lying to him. "I'm leaving. A friend of mine is letting me stay with him, so I'm moving out."

"Like h*ll you are!" he hollered, raising his hand above his head to slap her. But… something stopped him. It was strange. He seemed to have a blurry memory – perhaps the memory of a dream – of Kyandi turning into a horrible monster and hitting him hard enough to toss him quite a good distance backwards. He dropped his arm to his side, then stood back and smirked. "You're my daughter. You're not going anywhere. I'm calling the cops."

"I don't think that would be very wise," said a voice from the hallway. The figure of a blue-eyed blond male appeared, leaning against Kyandi's doorframe.

"Ryou!" Kyandi exclaimed happily. She was so glad to see him that she dropped the formalities and called him by his first name.

He continued as if he hadn't heard her. "If you do that, Mr. Coffman," Ryou was speaking in English, "I'll have to show the authorities the reason that I'm bringing her with me. That bruise on her cheek has been puzzling her peers for the past three days. And there are probably others, after what you did last night. If you do call the police, Mr. Coffman, you're the one who's likely to be arrested, not me."

Jack Coffman realized that he was stuck. He had no choice but to let this boy take his daughter away from him. "Have fun f*ckin' with your boyfriend, you little piece of sh*t," he growled at Kyandi as he left the room.

Kyandi stood up from her seat on the trunk and blushed. Her father had gotten the totally wrong idea. Ryou sighed in annoyance and went over next to her. The blond teenager lifted the trunk and swung it onto his shoulder as if it were light. Kyandi grabbed the handle of her rolling suitcase and slipped her school bag over her shoulder. As she passed her end table on the way out, she grabbed the framed photograph of her mother and slid it inside next to her math book.

* * *

On the top floor of the café, at the very end of the staircase, there was a bedroom with a private bathroom. As he carried in her trunk, Ryou explained that it was the biggest bedroom in the café. Kyandi gawked around the room and realized that his statement seemed rather believable. Out of curiosity, she asked, "Why didn't you take it?"

"Do you think I want to climb this many stairs every day?" he asked humorously. He laughed when all Kyandi did in reply was shrug.

After Kyandi had settled all of her belongings into the café loft room, she headed downstairs to the changing room. Before she reached her destination, she ran into Zakuro. The purple-haired girl spoke with her. "Shirogane told me to tell you that you may work in your normal clothes today. You don't need to wear the uniform." Kyandi nodded her thanks to Zakuro for relaying the message and continued downstairs to the kitchen. Zakuro turned and followed her.

As the two girls walked out into the main dining area, the front door of the café flew open. Bu-Ling, Retasu and Minto were all lined up in front of the now open door. Ichigo stood there, appearing somewhat disheveled. "Sorry I'm late again," she apologized. She made a weird face.

"As expected, Bu-Ling's guess is correct," Bu-Ling said in a serious tone. Kyandi balked at seeing the little girl act so unlike herself. The blonde girl continued, "Ichigo onee-chan is moody today, na-no-da."

"Ichigo-san," Retasu added sympathetically, "please cheer up."

"_Did something happen to her?" _Kyandi wondered.

"People say that falling out of love is part of growing up…" Minto began, blushing.

"_Oh no,"_ Kyandi assumed. _"Lover boy dumped her because she didn't show for their date."_

"F- Falling out of love?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes," Bu-Ling answered, her voice still serious. "How could there be an onii-chan who's willing to wait for so long in the rain? He must have dumped you so hard." While Bu-Ling was speaking, Retasu nodded her head in agreement.

"I… I didn't get dumped at all," Ichigo explained, blushing awkwardly.

"Huh?" the three girls exclaimed in confusion.

"As a matter of fact," Ichigo began twiddling her thumbs, "we happened to find out that we're in love with each other…"

The silence that followed was the most awkward thing that Kyandi had ever seen. The ecchi otaku snickered at the sight of everyone standing there, processing. Finally, all three of the younger girls squealed, "WHAT?" It was a long, drawn out word that lasted for several seconds.

"Is that so?" Retasu asked, her eyes sparkling with relief. "Everyone was so worried about it." The bespectacled girl and Minto both clasped the redhead's hands.

"If that's true, you should have told us sooner!" Minto exclaimed cheerfully.

"Hmm… There is indeed such a guy around. It's a miracle," Bu-Ling mumbled.

"Indeed. Isn't that a relief?" Zakuro added, walking over to join the conversation.

Kyandi walked over too. "Congratulations. I stand corrected about his intentions toward you."

At Kyandi's words, Ichigo blushed even harder. "Now, b- because he said he'd like to try the cake here… right now… he… came here."

Minto and Retasu both blushed as Masaya Aoyama walked up and stood next to Ichigo. He was also blushing. "H- Hello everyone," he stuttered, taking Ichigo's hand with his left hand and running his right hand through his dark hair in an awkward gesture.

"'Sup?" Kyandi asked casually.

Bu-Ling grinned from ear to ear. "Ichigo onee-chan's boyfriend has come to try our cake!" she yelled rather loudly toward the back, as if she were trying to notify Keiichiro in the kitchen. The blonde girl spun back around and bowed. "Welcome."

"B- Bu-Ling… boyfriend is a…" Ichigo began.

"But it's true, isn't it?" the blonde interrupted.

"Well, it's not exactly wrong, but…" Ichigo struggled. Kyandi stifled a laugh as Ichigo's cat ears popped out and the redhead quickly threw her hands over them to hide them. "Wah! I- I'm going to go get changed!" the cat-girl shouted as she dashed toward the dressing room.

"I'll seat you right over here, na-no-da!" Bu-Ling exclaimed, leading Masaya to one of Ichigo's regular tables.

"Well, that was awkward…" Minto sighed.

"It really was," Kyandi laughed.

"What was awkward?" asked a voice in English that made the peacock mew freeze.

Kyandi whirled around. "Joshu… what are you doing here?"

* * *

**Author: Happy 12/12/12! I know that all of you wished for this story to be updated, so here you go. And if I'm not mistaken, this is the longest chapter so far. Your wish came true! Ta-da!**


	15. The Battle at Café Mew Mew

**Author: The next song on Kyandi's playlist is "Identified" by Vanessa Hudgens.**

* * *

"I'm here for an ice cream," Joshu answered plainly. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"_Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," _Kyandi thought.

But what she said was, "I'll get you a seat." The café had just opened, so Joshu and Masaya were the only guests. Kyandi seated him at one of the tables that Retasu was going to attend to today. Minto was going to be greeter. Bu-Ling and Zakuro were also waiting tables. Because she wasn't obliged to wear her uniform today, Kyandi was going to be running the cash register.

* * *

Ichigo had just finished changing into her uniform. She was walking past the kitchen when a voice called out. "Ichigo," Keiichiro said gently. "It looks like everything worked out after all. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Akasaka-san," Ichigo smiled happily, looking like the love-struck teenager that she was.

At that moment, Masha popped up out of her apron pocket. "Danger! Aliens! Danger! Aliens!" he peeped.

"Eh?" Ichigo looked shocked.

Ryou had heard and didn't waste any time. He grabbed a syringe and ran for the dining hall. Sneaking up behind Masaya, Ryou plunged the syringe into the back of the black-haired boy's neck. Masaya fell forward, his head hitting the table.

"What are you doing?" asked Ichigo, witnessing the scene.

"Kyandi!" Ryou called.

Kyandi lifted her head, her blue eyes filled with indifference as she meandered over to where Ryou was standing. "What?" she asked coolly.

Ryou hissed into her ear, "I can only use the sleeping drug on someone once within the time frame of a month. I already used it on your ex two weeks ago. It's not safe for me to use it on him again. You're going to have to get him out of here. The aliens are coming."

"Am I allowed to use any means necessary?" Kyandi asked.

Ryou nodded, "Just as long as he doesn't find out that you're a Mew Mew." Then, Ryou dragged the unconscious Masaya Aoyama into the kitchen.

* * *

Joshu, who had watched Masaya get dragged away, cocked his head at Kyandi when she approached him again. "Does your boss drug people often?"

Kyandi tapped her chin. "Well… you remember that I mentioned his being a pervert?"

Joshu nodded.

"He's an equal opportunity lover, if you know what I mean," Kyandi finished.

Joshu looked stricken. "You mean… he's gonna…?"

"Yep. But don't worry. That guy won't remember a thing. You didn't, after all," Kyandi told him smugly.

Joshu's eyes widened. "You mean that he… me… I… we…?"

Kyandi nodded smartly and chuckled. "Why do you think that Bu-Ling and I colored your face to look like a girl?"

Joshu blanched and looked up at Kyandi. "You can't be serious."

Kyandi raised an eyebrow. "Also, you remember that I told you he has a fetish for cat-people?" When Joshu nodded slowly, Kyandi leaned over and whispered into his ear, "You looked kind of cute with the cat ears on."

Joshu abruptly stood up, blushing, his shoulder nearly hitting Kyandi in the nose. Kyandi gave him an annoyed look and put her hands on her hips. "If I were you, I'd get out of here fast," Kyandi told him. "He has another syringe."

Joshu bolted out of the café door faster than Kyandi thought possible. The girl with the Mew Aqua colored eyes and the caramel colored hair laughed her butt off. Minto looked over at her and asked, "How do you come up with this stuff?"

Kyandi smiled and said, "It's a gift."

Then, right after she had finished speaking, the doors to the café flew off of their hinges, propelled to the back of the café by a strong wind. Pai stood in the doorway with his fan covering half of his face. Kyandi made a weird, squeaking noise as she stared at him. "Kyandi-san!" Minto chided, realizing that the peacock mew was getting turned on by the enemy.

"I'm sorry!" Kyandi apologized. "It's just, when he holds his fan like that, he looks like a male geisha!"

Minto sweat-dropped.

Pai raised his eyebrow at Kyandi's strange comment, and then began his clever line. "I'll take fruit a la mode with Mew Aqua, please," Pai stated dryly.

Zakuro retorted with, "I'm sorry, sir. That's not on the menu."

"You can have a piece of pie, though," Kyandi giggled.

Then, Taruto crashed through one of the café's windows. "Hey, Pai. I found someone running around outside, so I stole his spirit. We can make a Chimera and destroy this place properly."

"Good," Pai responded stoically.

"Who could he have found?" Minto asked with an air of detachment.

Retasu looked out the window through which Taruto had entered and saw a body lying on the ground. "Ah! It's Joshu-san!" she shouted.

Kyandi blinked. "You killed him?" she asked, looking at Taruto. Then she smiled wickedly. "Thank you! I was going to do it myself, but I didn't want to go to jail," she quipped.

"Kyandi, stop bantering with the aliens!" Minto scolded.

"I have to get my fun from somewhere," Kyandi complained, crossing her arms over her chest. "My iPhone was destroyed in that last battle and I lost all of my otome games."

"Everyone, transform!" Zakuro commanded.

"We won't let you have your way," Minto shouted at the aliens. "Mew Mew Mint, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"We won't let you take the Mew Aqua, na-no-da! Mew Mew Pudding, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"You will pay for what you have done to Kyandi's friend," Zakuro growled. "Mew Mew Zakuro, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"For the future of Earth, we'll be of service, nya! Mew Mew Strawberry, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"You will pay for your wicked deeds. Mew Mew Lettuce, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"This is going to be fun," Kyandi grinned. "Mew Mew Candy, METAMORPHOSIS!"

As soon as the girls finished transforming, screams were heard from the kitchen. "Aoyama-kun!" Mew Strawberry shouted, running off into the kitchen.

Kisshu was in the kitchen, hovering threateningly above Keiichiro, Ryou and Masaya's unconscious body. Strawberry stood in his path, guarding her beloved Masaya. "Hello kitten," the green-haired alien greeted happily. "Did you miss me?"

"Kisshu, leave us alone!" Strawberry shouted.

"Sorry. I can't do that," he chuckled. "I need that Mew Aqua maker." He held up his sai swords and used them to create a ball of electricity, which he then hurled at the group of people. Strawberry was sure that they were done for when…

"Ribbon! PUDDING RING INFERNO!" A giant blob of pudding absorbed the shock before disintegrating. "Mew Pudding's pudding ring puddings are very puddingy, na-no-da!" the yellow monkey mew cheered.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the dining hall, Taruto held a blue crystal that the Mews assumed was Joshu's spirit. Pai spawned a parasite and the two aliens put their components together, both of them shouting, "FUSION!" at exactly the same time.

The Chimera Anima appeared. It was a reptile wearing a white, button-down shirt and tight, leather pants. It hissed and a thin tongue flickered out of its mouth. It had grey, scaly skin and green, slit pupil eyes.

"What is that?" Lettuce asked.

"It looks like a komodo dragon," Candy answered. "This species of lizard is very aggressive and has a highly toxic bite." She smiled. "It sounds exactly like Joshu. He's mean and poisonous. Let's beat him up!"

"Ribbon! LETTUCE RUSH!"

"Ribbon! MINT ECHO!"

"Ribbon! ZAKURO'S PURE!"

The Chimera dodged all of their attacks. Candy shouted, "Everyone, pick an opponent. I call dibs on Joshu." She grinned wickedly. "I have been waiting for this day ever since he walked through those café doors and tried to get me to go out with him again. What teenage girl doesn't want to whip her ex-boyfriend in a fight?"

Zakuro started fighting with Pai. Mint started attacking Taruto. Lettuce lent her assistance to any Mew who needed it.

Candy stared the Chimera down. "Candy Harp!" she summoned. The instrument of torture appeared in her hands. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" Her fingers swept over the strings, and a current of air pounded the komodo dragon monster in the chest. It squalled. Candy laughed. "Oh, shut up and take it like the man that you think you are! Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!"

"Ribbon! LETTUCE RUSH!" The monster was hit with a wall of wind and a wave of water.

Candy smiled, having an idea. "Lettuce! Let's combine our attacks. If we hit him right at the same time, wind and water should make something like a hurricane."

"Okay," Mew Lettuce nodded.

"Ribbon! LETTUCE RUSH!" and "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" sounded out at exactly the same time. The water attack hit the swirl of wind, and the two elements slammed into the Chimera Anima at the same time. The komodo dragon was knocked down onto the floor.

Lettuce turned to help Mint, firing a "Ribbon! LETTUCE RUSH!" at Taruto, knocking the small alien out of the air.

Mint nodded at her and returned the favor with a, "Ribbon! MINT ECHO!" towards the Chimera Anima. The monster burst into a bunch of colorful sparks. Masha flew by and devoured the parasite, catching Joshu's spirit with his tail.

"It's weird," Lettuce observed. "The Chimera didn't even try to attack us."

"It's because he's still obsessed with me," Candy replied, fluffing the peacock feather in her hair.

* * *

Back in the kitchen, Pudding shouted, "At times like this, Mew Strawberry should use the staff."

"Shut up!" Ryou shouted at the little girl.

"Huh?" Pudding looked around. "Where did Akasaka-oniichan go? Aha! I know!" She glared at Kisshu with a clever expression. "In order to defeat you, he has gone to get the staff from its hiding place!"

"Quiet!" both Ryou and Strawberry yelled at her.

"Oh? And where would that be?" Kisshu asked nonchalantly.

"In the basement, na-no-da!" Pudding answered proudly.

"You're such a stupid child!" Ryou scolded.

Kisshu warped away, reappearing on the stairwell to the basement. Keiichiro stood at the bottom of the stairs, clutching Mew Strawberry's scepter in his hand. The brunette frowned at the alien who was blocking his path. "Found it," Kisshu chuckled wickedly, snatching the scepter from Keiichiro's hand.

"No!" Strawberry shouted, leaping from the top of the stairwell and soaring over Kisshu's head, attempting to grab the scepter and failing. Ryou stood on the top of the staircase, watching in horror.

Kisshu cackled. "With the power of the Mew Aqua in this staff, Deep Blue will be awakened."

Ryou's eyes widened fearfully. From somewhere behind the blond, a voice shouted, "You're not going anywhere with that. Ribbon! MINT ECHO!"

Kisshu easily dodged the arrow and cackled, staring at the glowing scepter. Suddenly, it stopped glowing. "Huh?" Kisshu looked at it. "What's wrong? Shine!" he commanded it.

"I see," Keiichiro nodded as Pai and Taruto appeared behind Kisshu. The rest of the Mews ran over in time to hear Keiichiro say, "Mew Aqua only stores energy. It does not create it. In the last battle, most of the energy was used up. Now, the thing that remains is powerless. It's just a stone."

"It seems that we were told differently," Pai complained.

"Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" Candy attacked, and Pai used his fan to counter her attack with his own, neither wind stronger than the other, causing the air to come to a standstill.

"Kisshu," Taruto complained. "This was your idea. What do we do now?" Mint fired another arrow, and Taruto blocked it with his hand.

"Shut up," Kisshu growled. "All of this nonsense… D*mn it. D*mn! D*mn! D*mn!" he shouted crazily. "I am being made a fool of. I will make you all pay for it!" He threw the scepter onto the floor.

"I can't let you do that!" Mew Strawberry shouted. "Strawberry Bell!" She powered up her weapon and fired. "Ribbon! STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!"

All of the aliens remembered how much that one Strawberry Surprise had hurt. They didn't want that again, so they teleported away. Their voices flowed out from the ripple through which they had vanished.

"We'll let you off this time!" Pai shouted.

"It's not like we've lost or anything!" Taruto yelled. And then, they were completely gone.

* * *

Back upstairs, the girls had transformed back into their human selves.

"We've been hit hard," Zakuro stated.

"The whole place is a mess right now, na-no-da," Bu-Ling observed.

"Thanks for pointing that out, Captain Obvious," Kyandi sneered.

"Now it looks like an open concept shop," Retasu said softly.

"That's one way of looking at it," Minto said in her snobby tone.

"Now that they know there's no Mew Aqua here, they probably won't attack this place again," Keiichiro assured them.

"Since we don't know where the rest of the Mew Aqua is, it looks like we're back to square one," Ryou added.

Ichigo was kneeling next to Masaya, trying to wake him up. "Aoyama-kun!" she pleaded.

"Baka. Don't you think it would be better not to wake him up here?" Ryou scolded. "Keiichiro will help you bring him somewhere. We must make sure that he doesn't see anything."

Masha gave Joshu's spirit to Kyandi. "Kyandi, help her friend. Help her friend!" Masha insisted.

"The word 'friend' is stretching it a bit," Kyandi rolled her eyes, but accepted Masha's gift anyway.

* * *

Keiichiro helped move both Masaya and Joshu to areas of the park that were farther away from the café before going back to help with the clean-up. Ichigo leaned over the unconscious kendo player. "He's still breathing. What a relief."

Kyandi rolled her eyes again. "Of course he's still breathing. It was a sleeping drug, not a poison."

Ichigo ignored her. "Aoyama-kun, I'm sorry that I dragged you into trouble again."

"At least he didn't get turned into a Chimera Anima, right?" Kyandi comforted her in an amused voice. Even though Kyandi was speaking to Ichigo, the girls had their backs to one another.

Maybe that's the reason why Ichigo felt comfortable enough to try to kiss Masaya on the mouth while he was unconscious. Her ears and tail came out like they always did when she got excited, but no one here that didn't know about her being a Mew Mew was awake, so it didn't matter. She just wanted to kiss him. Memories of the fairy tales she had read as a child flooded into her head: a kiss always woke up the sleeping beauty. Maybe… Maybe this would be all he needed to revive.

Suddenly, it seemed as if Masaya grew. She thought this was strange, and so she looked down to herself, raising her hand to see if it was blurry. Maybe she was light-headed and her depth perception was off or something. She was surprised when her hand wasn't a hand at all. It was a paw! She… She had turned into a cat!

Kyandi was just about to return Joshu's spirit when… "Nya." Kyandi looked over to her side. A black cat sat there. It had a bell on its tail like Ichigo did whenever she transformed. It even had on a little bell necklace that looked exactly like Ichigo's.

Kyandi laughed. "Hey, Ichigo, look at this. It's uncanny," she turned around to see that Ichigo was nowhere in sight. Her eyes widening, she looked back at the cat. "Ichigo?" she questioned. "Is that you?"

"Nya!" the cat whined.

"Oh my gosh! Ichigo!" Kyandi exclaimed. She looked from her cat of a friend, to her unconscious, half-dead ex-boyfriend. She turned back to the cat. "Ichigo, go hide in the bushes over there." Kyandi pointed to the row of hedges that was nearby. "I'll get you after I wake him up, and then maybe we can figure out what happened."

"Nya," the Ichigo cat nodded, heading over to the bushes.

Kyandi returned Joshu's spirit to him. The guy woke up and looked around. "Where am I?" he asked in English. He found himself staring up at his ex-girlfriend. "Candi, what happened?"

Kyandi smirked. "It turns out that my boss also has a tranquilizer dart gun. He really didn't like that you tried to run away, so he punished you for it. This is the second time that this has happened to you. Maybe you should start wearing skirts," the peacock mew lied easily.

Joshu's mouth dropped opened. "Wha-? What the heck?" It took a moment for him to process her words. Then, he eyes widened considerably. "No! Candi, tell me he didn't! Don't tell me that he did it again!"

"I already did," Kyandi frowned at his stupidity.

"Holy crap! How the heck did this happen?" Joshu sputtered.

"Japan is very different from America, Joshua. If you can't handle it, maybe you should go home," she told him.

He looked up at her. Then, he sat up, and stared her in the eyes. "You're lying," he said suddenly. A smirk spread across his face. "You just want me to go back to America and leave you alone, so you're pulling tricks on me. Your boss didn't do anything to me, and 'Mew Mew' is not a name for a waitress. I know your secret, Candi Coffman. Now, unless you want me spilling it to the whole world, I demand that you go out with me!"

Kyandi crossed her arms over her chest. "And who would believe you?" she asked. "You're just a tourist. And besides, if you know what a Mew Mew is, then you know what I can do. So, it would be most unwise of you to do anything that would tick me off. Now that I have super powers, I could whoop your butt with more than just mind games, Joshua Robertson. Remember that."

Joshu froze and stared at her. Then, he growled and stood up. "Fine. I'll be quiet, for now. But mark my words, Candi Coffman. I will find a way to get you back. You can count on it."

Kyandi stood up as well. "Uh-huh. Good luck with that," she said sarcastically. Joshu frowned and stormed off.

Kyandi went over to the bushes to look for Ichigo. However, it seemed that the little black cat was nowhere to be found. "Uh-oh," Kyandi worried, chewing on her bottom lip.

* * *

Ichigo had tried to stay put like Kyandi had told her to. She had really wanted to find out why she had become a cat. She really did need Kyandi's help. But then, a dog had come up to the bushes and spotted her. The canine had barked, and Ichigo had been frightened. She had ended up running for her life and climbing a nearby tree. She really hoped that Kyandi would find her.

* * *

Kyandi ran back to the café as quickly as she could. The doors still hadn't been repaired, and Kyandi ran through the open gap and shouted, "Everyone, we have a bit of a problem."

* * *

**Author: I haven't done an interview for a while, so let's do one now! Please welcome, Ryou Shirogane!**

**Ryou: What happened? I was helping to clean up the café, and then…**

**Author: You're in a break in the space-time continuum. Everything will continue on exactly the same way it was when you left once you return.**

**Ryou: Oh. Okay.**

**Author: So, what do you think of Kyandi?**

**Ryou: She's annoying, but she's also very clever. Her idea to trick Kisshu into giving us information… it just might work, if she doesn't end up actually falling in love with that pervert. The fate of the entire world rests on the shoulder of Kyandi Coffman. I sincerely hope that she doesn't betray us.**

**Author: (laughs) The fate of the entire world? Really? I think you're being melodramatic, Ryou. Even if Kyandi were to betray you, you still have five other Mew Mews. **

**Ryou: Yes, but Kyandi has more power than she knows. She wasn't part of the original five Mews, so her powers don't support Ichigo in the way that the others' do. She can stand on her own.**

**Author: Hey! You're not allowed to give spoilers in this interview! Get the heck off of my stage!**

**Oy… I can't interview anyone without something bad happening. Should I just give up?**

**Give me reviews, everyone! The more reviews I get, the more ideas I have, and the higher the level of awesomeness grows in this story. Don't feel shy about it either. (Uh-hem, Swan Mew, uh-hem.) For the future of this story, will you be of service?**


	16. The Beginning of Her End

**Author: The next song is "Party on the Moon" by Vanessa Hudgens.**

* * *

Kyandi told Ryou and the others about Ichigo's turning into a cat. Ryou went out to look for Ichigo, and Kyandi stayed behind to help with the clean-up. "Kyandi-san," Keiichiro said gently when he saw her pick up a mop, "you're excused from cleaning duty. Go upstairs and get settled." Kyandi found this weird, but nodded and left for her new room.

"Why does Kyandi get excused from working?" Minto asked peevishly. "I'm the lady here. If anyone should get excused from the work, it's me."

"Kyandi has moved into the café. She needs this time to get settled," Keiichiro explained.

"Why has Kyandi-san moved in here?" Retasu asked, her eyes shining in a subtle curiosity behind her glasses.

Keiichiro's face became stern and serious. "Last night, it was discovered that she has an abusive father."

Retasu, Minto and Zakuro all wore matching expressions of shock. Bu-Ling, unaware of what that meant, continued to sweep up rubble. Keiichiro added, "Also, her mother died yesterday." This statement caused Bu-Ling to stop sweeping. "When her father told her about this, it seems that it caused a fight between them. In order to defend herself, Kyandi transformed and attacked him with her Mew Mew powers."

Zakuro gasped. "You don't mean that he knows!"

Keiichiro shook his head. "No. It seems that her father was drunk at the time and doesn't remember anything. However, for the safety of both Kyandi and her father, it is best to keep them separated for now."

Minto looked down at the floor. "From the way she acted today, I never would have guessed that her father treated her in such a way."

"That bruise on her cheek…" Zakuro surmised, "he caused it?"

"Yes," Keiichiro nodded.

Zakuro's face twisted into an expression of sorrowful sympathy. "I see."

* * *

Up in her room, Kyandi finally got a good look around. There was a large, floor-to-ceiling heart-shaped window on the wall farthest from the door. The walls of the room formed what seemed to be one-half of a circle, as it was the room in the top of the café's middle tower. It had plenty of room. The door led into the room from the top of the staircase, and there was another door on the same wall that led to the bathroom. Between these two doors, there was a wooden desk. Over by the window there was a full-size bed with no linens on it. On the other side of the window, there was a chest of drawers and a wardrobe. That was all of the furniture.

The bathroom had a shower _and_ a Jacuzzi. There was also a toilet and a sink with a mirror hanging over it. The bathroom took up about one-sixth of the space in the top tower, the other one-third being taken up by the top of the spiraling staircase.

Kyandi began to unpack her belongings. She opened up her trunk and pulled out her bedding: zebra print sheets and a thick, black comforter. She fit the linens and blanket onto the bed and went back to get her pillows. Two pillows were covered in black shams, and the third was a zebra Pillow Pet. She arranged them on the bed. Next, she unpacked her clothes, putting her everyday outfits in the drawers and hanging her uniforms in the wardrobe.

Next, she unzipped her suitcase and took out her toothbrush, her blow dryer and hair straightener, going into the bathroom and setting those items on the sink. She did the same with her box of make-up. On top of the chest of drawers, Kyandi placed her deodorant, perfumes, and boxes of hair accessories and jewelry. With all of her things unpacked, she shoved the suitcase under her bed and sat the trunk at the end near the footboard. "Done," she nodded looking around.

Soon, she remembered something else. She walked over to the place where she had left her school bag on the floor, opened it up, and pulled out the picture of her mother. She walked over to the desk and set the picture on it. _"Your mother died,"_ her father's words echoed in her brain. And that was the moment that Kyandi Coffman lost it. All day long, she had been strong. But now, alone in her new bedroom, with no father to yell at her and no customers to serve and no aliens to fight, Kyandi Coffman broke down. She bawled, tears streaming down her face. Kyandi Coffman, the girl who spent her life preventing herself from getting hurt, had now encountered an unavoidable pain. "Stop," she mumbled, speaking to this pain that was growing inside her every single second. This pain got stronger and louder until it seemed to be screaming out of her heart. So, she screamed back. "Stop. Stop! STOP!" But pain never does listen to its victim, and Kyandi Coffman sunk to the floor in despair.

Lying on the cold, hard, tile floor, Kyandi Coffman felt something within her break. The first brick had fallen from her ever-vigilant wall, and she had felt it. "No! No no no!" she sobbed desperately. During everything she had ever gone through, one thought had kept Kyandi Coffman afloat: _"My mother loves me. My mother loves me. My mother loves me."_ It had been her mantra. It had been her staple. It had been her most important pillar. Now, that mantra had lost its power. It caused a famine in her heart. The pillar that supported her walls had cracked and crumbled, and as a result, the walls began to crumble. The Kyandi Coffman that had been locked away a long time ago was about to break free, and so long ago had she been locked away that she was truly still a child. Now, in the heart of that broken child, another mantra rang true: _"My mother is dead. My mother is dead. My mother is dead. She can never love me again."_

Kyandi Coffman pounded the floor, wincing with every painful hit. Her walls were collapsing; she was losing all of her defenses. Now how would she survive? Kyandi Coffman suddenly realized that she had believed in love this whole time, but had somehow known that it was terribly rare. She had had the love of only person, and she held it in the highest esteem. It had been her most precious treasure, and now it was gone.

After a while, she stood up and wiped the tears from her face. She would move on. She had to. No one got anywhere by wallowing in self-pity. The walls that she had built had crumbled. And so what? She would rebuild. She would find something else to take the place of that fallen pillar, and she would do so quickly. She didn't know that this decision was the beginning of her downfall.

* * *

She walked downstairs and started helping with the cleaning anyway, against Keiichiro's insistence that she rest. Right now, she really wanted a distraction. This one was as good as any.

Eventually, Ryou came back to the café with Ichigo, who had returned to her human form. The redhead was fussing about the things that had happened to her while she was a cat. "And then, there was this ugly, fat cat that tried to kiss me. After that I ended up at Aoyama-kun's house, and he… kya!... he gave me a bath." Ichigo blushed furiously at this, pausing in her memories. "After that, I got out through his window and there was this horrible, drunk man that tried to kiss me. I ran away and ended up by the water. And then, the fat cat found me again! But this other cat, Aruto, rescued me. And then I fell into the water and almost drowned. When I woke up, Shirogane-san was there, and-"

"Go get out of your café uniform," Ryou told her, interrupting her rambling. "Change back into your normal clothes."

"Oh," Kyandi butted in, raising her eyebrows suggestively. "Did something happen between the two of you that you don't want her sharing?"

Ryou gave Kyandi a weird look. "No, nothing like that. I just assume that her mother is worried about her, so she needs to shut up and change so that I can walk her home."

"You're walking her home?" Kyandi asked incredulously. "Something happened between the two of you," Kyandi said in a dirty tone. "I just know it."

"I told you, nothing did!" Ryou insisted, his face turning red.

"Ah, then why are you blushing?" Kyandi teased.

"I'm not blushing! If my face is red, it's because I'm mad!" he retorted.

Kyandi laughed. "I'm just messing with you, Shirogane-san."

"W- What the…?" Ryou gave her another strange look.

After Ichigo changed, she and Ryou left. Keiichiro excused all of the other girls as well. Half of the café was still a mess, but the gentlemanly baker decided that it was too late to allow the girls to stay any longer. Kyandi watched everyone leave. Once they were gone, she admitted, "It feels strange that I'm not leaving too."

Keiichiro gave her a surprised look, which soon melted into a soft expression of pity. "I guess it must be hard for you. Don't worry. You'll get used to it," he said in his gentle voice. "Anyways, we should probably have dinner now."

Kyandi looked at him and nodded, following him into the kitchen. Thankfully, the kitchen had been successfully cleaned, and Keiichiro was able to cook. "Here," the brunette placed the dish of sauced white rice on the counter in front of Kyandi. "Eat up."

A small smile tugged at edge of Kyandi's mouth as she picked up the chopsticks. "Itadakimasu." **(1)**

* * *

Kisshu hovered outside of Kyandi's former bedroom window. It was time to play spy again. He had to admit that he was beginning to enjoy these little tests of his wits. It was a dangerous game as the two tried to out-con each other, but that danger was exactly what made it fun. Plus, he had a plan tonight. He had given her some information last time; this time, it was his turn. The alien peeked through the window. He was surprised to see that instead of Kyandi, her father was in the room.

"Kyandi Coffman, d*mn you!" the old man slurred. "You're no better than your mother, you little sh*t. Leaving me to run off with some blond *sshole… Who do you think you are, missy?"

"_She… left? Wait a moment…"_ Kisshu mused, _"… that guy at the café today was blond. Maybe this is the same person. I don't know where he lives, though." _Kisshu began to smile. _"Well, that's too bad. I won't be able to find Kyandi tonight. I guess that means I have to visit my koneko-chan instead!" _The thought made him happy. In a flash, he was in Ichigo's front yard. A voice caused him to turn his head.

"Thank you for walking her home, Shirogane-san. It's nice to know that her boss is such a kind person," Ichigo's mom said with a smile to… that very same blond guy.

"_D*mnit! I wanted to see Ichigo tonight!" _Kisshu complained inwardly.

"No problem, Momomiya Sakura," Ryou replied with a nod. "This city can be dangerous at night. I wouldn't want her to get hurt." Then, Ryou turned and began to walk back toward the café, unaware that an alien was following him all the way home.

* * *

Kyandi had just finished brushing her teeth when there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Hm? Come in!" she called as she walked out of the bathroom in the oversized T-shirt that she used as pajamas.

Ryou walked into her room and paused, seeing what she was wearing.

Kyandi raised an eyebrow. "Like what you see?"

Ryou shook his head quickly to clear his brain. "We need to talk; it's about your mission."

"Okay," Kyandi nodded as she sat down on her bed.

"Kisshu seems to not be taking his role as seriously as he should. Earlier today he was flirting with Mew Strawberry in your absence," Ryou explained. "It was a foolish move on his part, and he should have figured out that one of us would tell you. If it's his mission to feign romantic interest in you, I don't understand why he would openly flirt with another person. But, I seem to have gotten off on a tangent, so-"

"No," Kyandi interrupted him. "I can use that information. Thank you. Is there anything else?"

"Yes," Ryou nodded. "I want you to be careful. Your circumstances at the moment may have you feeling more vulnerable. I don't want you to pursue this mission anymore if you don't think you can handle it."

The pair was oblivious to the fact that Kisshu himself was watching from right outside the window.

"Are you kidding?" Kyandi snapped. "If I stop now, I won't be able to go back later and pick up where I left off; he'll be onto me by then. No. I have to finish what I started. Shirogane Ryou, I am no quitter!"

Ryou sighed in disappointment. While he admired her determination, he was worried that it would come at a great cost. "Alright. If you want to continue, there's nothing that I can do to stop you."

"Thank you," Kyandi nodded sternly. Ryou turned and left her room.

* * *

A few hours later, Kisshu returned to the café. He had figured that it would look suspicious if he were to appear right after that discussion, so he had left to see Ichigo for a little while. Ichigo, of course, was never aware of his visit.

He knocked on Kyandi's window. The caramel-haired girl looked surprised when she saw him hovering outside. She pushed the window open and asked, "How did you find me?" Kisshu noticed that her eyes and face were red. She must have been crying.

"I have my ways," Kisshu replied with a wink. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Kyandi giggled and then sniffled, wiping her nose. "Who said I was trying to get rid of you?" Kisshu raised an eyebrow at her reply. Then, her face hardened and she frowned. "Though, if I were trying to get rid of you, it would be because you were flirting with Ichigo today. I don't take crap from anyone, and I especially won't take it from you. So, are you serious about me or not, because I don't listen to non-committers."

Kisshu's mouth dropped open into an O-shape. So this was how she was using that information, huh? There was no way that he would give up his guilty pleasure with Ichigo just to get her to listen to him! He was out of here!... But then… Pai, and everyone else back home, would think that he was a total loser. He couldn't have that either. He made a pained expression as he tried to convince himself that one would be worth the other. He finally came to this conclusion: There were several girls like Ichigo that rejected him over and over, but he only had one reputation. His pride won out, and he frowned as he kissed his dreams of the cute cat-girl good-bye.

"I'm serious," Kisshu answered Kyandi with a nod.

Kyandi smirked. "Good. Now, I had better not hear about anything like this happening again. I'm not the type of person to give second chances."

Kisshu gulped and nodded. Stupid Pai. What had his older brother signed him up for? Kisshu then realized something, and grinned. "Say, Kyandi-chan…" he stared at her seductively.

Kyandi looked up at him. "Hm?"

"Now that you know I'm serious about you, have I earned that kiss?" Kisshu put his hand on his chin as a precaution to keep him from licking his lips. Kissing tasted good no matter with whom it was done.

Kyandi's Mew Aqua eyes went half-lidded as she returned his sensual stare. "I guess so," she answered. It was all a game to her anyways. She had wanted to see how long he could go, and she derived a bit of satisfaction from knowing that it hadn't even been a day.

Kisshu hovered inside and began to wrap his arms around her, and Kyandi widened her eyes as though she were suddenly remembering something. "Oh shoot! We can't do this here. There are computers on this lot that can sense your presence," she told Kisshu.

His golden eyes widened as well. "Seriously?" Well, he had gotten a little bit of info from her just now. He wasn't sure how useful it was, but… "Should we go somewhere else then?" Kisshu asked seductively. Come to think of it, this could be very beneficial. He could build up her trust by making sure to always bring her back home, and by not kidnapping her. That was perfect!

"Um… how? The stairs go right past-" Kyandi's words were interrupted by a strange sensation. It felt as though she was being pulled away by a very strong force.

The force stopped, and she was in a tree. She was in a tree… with Kisshu. "What the...?" she looked down at the ground. "Did you just…?" she looked at him.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Now, how about that kiss?"

Kyandi was kind of ecstatic about this sudden teleportation, but she was a bit worried too. He could have taken her to be tortured by Pai or something. What if he had done that? She shivered and was just glad that he hadn't. "Okay," she answered. She leaned forward until her lips made contact with his.

As she kissed him, Kisshu realized something. This was the first time that a girl had kissed him of her own freewill. His mind was torn in three different directions. The first simply screamed, _"Yes!" _The second explained away her actions by saying, _"You know that she's only doing this to manipulate you." _The third part of him whispered very quietly, _"Yes, I know that. But at the same time, I hope that she's not."_

"Hey," Kyandi commented as she pulled back, "I feel ripped off. You didn't kiss back."

"I didn't?" Kisshu asked. _"I guess I was so shocked that she actually did it that I didn't respond. Oops."_

"What's wrong?" Kyandi asked.

He told her the truth. "I just – I didn't expect you to actually kiss me."

She made a confused face. "Why not?"

He turned his head away and didn't answer. He wasn't going to tell her that she was the first girl to ever kiss him. That was too embarrassing. He just hoped that she couldn't see him blush.

* * *

**Author: 1) "Itadakimasu" is a phrase that Japanese people say before they eat. It doesn't really have a translation into English, but some subtitles use the phrases, "Let's eat" or "Dig in" or "Thanks for the food". It is probably most correctly used to express gratitude for a meal.**


	17. Falling, Literally

**Author: The next song on Kyandi's playlist is "World is Mine" by Hatsune Miku. This is another Japanese song, but translations are still available on YouTube.**

* * *

Kyandi Coffman stared at Kisshu, finding it amusing that he was acting bashful. For some reason, her heart began to feel heavy. She didn't know that grief could strike at any moment, that this sadness was a result of her mother's death. She knew only this: she was never to show weakness around her enemy when she could prevent it. She needed another distraction. And then inspiration hit her. She tapped Kisshu on the shoulder, and he looked at her again. "I'll give you a chance to make up for the rip-off," she said seductively. Then, she leaned in and kissed him again. He kissed back.

Yes. This was perfect. She could forget about one emotion if she let herself be swallowed in another. At the same time, she wouldn't have to worry about revealing secrets to him if her mouth was otherwise occupied. And who knew? Perhaps this little kissing game would get him to develop an emotional attachment to her. Such a thing might lure him into giving her information. Yes, if he became attached to her then, should the aliens come up with some diabolical plan in the future that would wipe out the Mews or even the entire world, perhaps Kisshu would leak it to Kyandi in order to preserve her life. So really, this was nothing but a strategy to Kyandi.

Kisshu, on the other hand, wasn't thinking about anything remotely related to espionage. He was thinking about her lips pressing against his, over and over and over again. His mind was racing almost as fast as his heart. _"What if… What if she's not doing this just to manipulate me? What if she actually cares? What if I've been focusing on the wrong Mew Mew this entire time? I did overhear Kyandi confess her attractions for me to Ichigo that day in the park. Maybe this could work. Maybe I could convince her to come with me. What if she would be willing to betray her own kind in order to be with me? Could it… Could it ever be possible for someone to love me that much?" _

Kisshu grinned and growled, giving a quick Kyandi's bottom lip a quick nip. Kyandi gasped and suppressed a smirk. "I'm getting revenge for that!" she cooed. She pushed him back into the tree trunk, holding him there. Her face moved closer and closer to his. Then, her cheek brushed against his and Kisshu felt something wet on his ear.

The alien blushed. "D- Did you just lick my ear?"

Kyandi pulled her face back and gave him an annoyed stare. "What? Is that not good enough for you? Do you want me to bite it too?" she asked in an annoyed tone. Then her face cracked into a teasing smile. Sarcasm was so much fun.

Kisshu smirked. "Do you want to play, peacock? I warned you quite a while back that I play rough."

Kyandi mirrored his smirk, and added to it by raising an eyebrow. "And I told you a while back that I'm just the same way."

Kisshu chuckled. "You do realize that you're fraternizing with your enemy?" he asked. He wanted to see her reaction; he wanted to see what she would do if her crime were brought to her attention. Would she stay?

Kyandi shrugged. "I guess you're just going to have to punish me," she said in a sensual tone.

Kisshu's eyes widened at her response, and his smirk became a wicked smile. "It would be my pleasure," he flirted back. He pushed her forward and held her down on the tree branch, leaning in to kiss her neck. He didn't get the chance.

Kyandi smirked and leaned a bit to the left, upsetting their balance and causing both of them to tumble out of the tree. Kisshu screamed and Kyandi laughed. She had done it on purpose. Kisshu wrapped his arms around her waist and hovered fifty feet above the ground. Kyandi was still laughing.

Kisshu frowned. "That was mean, Kyandi-chan."

Kyandi sputtered out between laughs, "It was also… so… funny! ... The look… on your… face!"

"Yeah yeah," Kisshu grumbled. "We'll see who's laughing in a minute." He loosened his grip on her waist and let her slip a bit before catching her again.

"Ah! Don't drop me, you idiot!" she screamed.

"Oh? So I'm an idiot now, am I?" he asked teasingly. "You know, I was just trying to make you scared, but if you're calling me an idiot, maybe I'll drop you for real." He loosened his grip again, allowing her to slip a bit more.

"Ah! No! Don't!" she pleaded.

"Hmm…" Kisshu replied. "Well, I'll consider not dropping you if you say, 'Kisshu is the sexiest stud in the universe'. Say that, and maybe I won't drop you."

"There is no way that I'm saying that!" Kyandi growled, angrily kicking the air as she dangled from his waist.

"Okay, your choice," Kisshu said as he released her.

She began to slip further down his body until her arms were wrapped around his knees. "Wah! Okay, okay! Kisshu is the sexiest stud in the universe, but he's also an idiot! There, I said it!"

"You still called me an idiot," he said sulkily, crossing his arms over his chest and refusing to catch her.

"Don't make me transform and beat the crap out of you, right here and right now," she growled.

Kisshu raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Alright, alright. I'll help you Kyandi-chan, but only because you need me."

"Who said that I need you?" Kyandi barked.

"Let go," Kisshu ordered.

"What? No!" she shrieked.

"I'll catch you," he promised. "Now just let go."

Kyandi began to panic. "I'm not going to let go so that you can watch me fall to my death!" she snapped.

"Kyandi," Kisshu said seriously, "you're going to have to trust me. Now let go."

"No!"

"Let go!"

"NO!"

"LET GO!"

Kyandi screeched in frustration. "Alright! FINE!" She released his legs and began falling rapidly toward the ground. She was ten feet from her doom when a portal opened beneath her and Kisshu popped out of it, clutching her in his arms, catching her bridal style.

"See?" he told her pointedly. "Now aren't you glad that you trusted me?"

She nodded silently, staring up into his golden eyes. A chilly, autumn breeze blew by, leaving her shivering in her grey, oversized T-shirt. "I should probably get back now," she thought aloud.

"Okay," Kisshu nodded. He teleported, and they were suddenly back at the window to her café bedroom. She stepped out of his arms and into her bedroom, and then turned to stare out the window at him. "See you later, peacock," Kisshu said gently. And just like that, he was gone.

* * *

In the aliens' alternate dimension headquarters, Pai looked over to the portal through which Kisshu appeared. "Did you learn anything tonight?" the purple-haired alien asked.

"Yes," Kisshu nodded. "The café place that the Mew Mews work at has computers that can detect our presence."

Pai scoffed. "I've known that for about a week now. Mew Lettuce accidentally told me during one of my visits to her." He shook his head. "That girl is so naïve. I don't think that she even realizes that she's helping to bring about her own doom."

"You convinced her to help us?" Kisshu asked nonchalantly.

"No, I merely got her to sympathize with us. However, getting her to switch factions is the ultimate goal. Sympathy is the first step," Pai answered. Then he glared at Kisshu. "But don't think that you can change the subject. Did you make any progress with Mew Candy or not?"

Kisshu grimaced. "Not really. She's very mistrusting. Tonight I worked on building up trust with her. It involved falling out of a tree. She let me catch her. I suppose that could be called progress."

Pai shook his head. "So what you're saying is: you've gotten nowhere."

"I've decided to change tactics. Rather than trying to get her to leak information, I'm trying to get her to switch sides," Kisshu explained.

"Any reason why?" Pai asked.

"You just leave that to me," Kisshu said with a wink.

* * *

Kyandi woke up the next morning due to a slap on her head. "Ow!" she sat up and glared at Ryou.

"Get up," he groused, holding a newspaper in his right hand (probably the thing he had used to slap her). "You have school. It's Monday."

Kyandi realized that her room didn't have a clock. She also didn't have a phone. One of those problems was going to have to be fixed. Ryou walked out of her room and slammed the door on his way out.

Kyandi stood up and pulled her oversized T-shirt off over her head. She headed for the bathroom and took a quick shower before brushing her teeth and drying her hair. She decided to forgo the straightening for once, opting for her natural, wavy look today. Leaving down one strand on either side of her face, she pulled the rest of her hair into a high bun and tied it off with a pony-O that had been around her wrist. Then she did her make-up, making sure to put extra concealer on the bruise on her cheek.

Rushing out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom, she put on her uniform, glad that the required knee-high socks hid the bruise on her right shin. She glanced down at her left elbow. The uniform was short-sleeved. How was she supposed to hide that bruise? She remembered the chilly breeze from the night before. Yes, it was autumn. It wouldn't be unusual if she wore the matching uniform jacket now, right? The jacket was designed to be thick enough to protect against winter weather. She took it off the hanger and slipped it on. Hopefully it wouldn't look suspicious. She grabbed her school bag and began the descent down the many stairs.

* * *

"Good morning, Kyandi-san," Keiichiro said with a smile as she appeared in the kitchen. "Would you like a waffle for breakfast this morning?"

"Sure," Kyandi answered as she sat down at the kitchen counter. The baker gave her a plate containing a waffle with an eight-inch diameter. And it wasn't just an ordinary waffle. It was a chocolate waffle, topped with strawberries and a white, glaze-like drizzle. Kyandi drooled a bit as she stared at it. "Itadakimasu!" she exclaimed happily before digging in.

While she was eating, Ryou came down the stairs and opted out of the waffle in favor of buttered toast. "What the heck is wrong with you?" Kyandi asked him with her mouth full. "This thing is delicious."

"I don't have time," he told her. "I have to drive you to school this morning."

Kyandi swallowed her mouthful before asking, "You're driving me to school?" She popped the last piece of waffle into her mouth.

"Yes," Ryou answered. "If you would only look at the clock, you'd know that there is no way you'd make it on time by walking now." He bit into his toast.

"What, seriously?" Kyandi looked up at the clock. "Oh no!" She looked back at Ryou. "Hurry the heck up, slow poke!"

Ryou had to stifle a laugh in order to avoid choking on his toast.

* * *

Five minutes later, the two of them were in Ryou's red convertible on the way to Okamura Junior High. "This… is a cool… car," Kyandi observed.

And she wasn't the only one to notice. When they pulled up outside of the school gates, other students stared. She could hear some of the guys' exclamations of, "What a cool car!" and, "I'm jealous. I want it." When Kyandi walked through the gate, everyone was staring at her. She proudly stuck up her head and absorbed the attention. One of the girls asked, "Coffman-san, who dropped you off this morning?" She heard one of the other girls whisper, "It wasn't just the car that looked good. Who was that guy? Was it her boyfriend? He looked like a high school guy!"

Kyandi Coffman turned to the girl who had asked her the question. "That's really none of your business, is it?" she told her coldly.

"Right," the girl nodded. "Sorry."

Kyandi smirked and strutted away, her hips swaying. She liked being the center of attention. Let everyone stare at how awesome she was. Yeah, let them look! Kyandi felt like she was the queen of the world as she walked to her homeroom. However, that feeling soon collapsed when the teacher came into the room, followed by an all-too-familiar male figure.

"Class," the female teacher told everyone while pushing her glasses up her nose, "this is Robertson Joshua-san. He is going to be an exchange student here for a few months while his parents take care of some business here in Japan. He is from America. Please, be kind to him. It takes time to adjust to a new environment, so please refrain from any bullying."

Joshu met Kyandi's eyes and smirked. The teacher scanned the classroom before saying, "Robertson-san, there is an open seat behind Coffman-san. She is from America too. Perhaps the two of you will get along. Please, sit down." Joshu bowed to the teacher and thanked her before making his way to his seat.

The class monitor called out, "All rise!" All of the students stood from their seats. "Bow." The students bowed and thanked the teacher for coming. "Sit." Everyone sat back down.

"So," Joshua whispered to Candi in English, "when you bowed, I saw your panties."

Kyandi gave a low chuckle. "Oh, cute," she muttered sarcastically in the same tongue. "Now, 'Robertson-san', please explain how you're going to learn anything from a Japanese school when you can't read a lick of Japanese."

"Who said that I couldn't read Japanese?" he asked amusedly.

"You did… that day at the café when I had to translate the entire menu for you," she clarified.

"Oh, that? That was just my way of getting you to be my own personal slave for a while." He grinned, even though she couldn't see him. "That was a fun day."

"Until you woke up with Sharpie make-up," she tittered.

"Yes… As I recall, your boss drugged me. And why is that, Candi? Did you Mew Mews have to go save the world?"

Kyandi's pulse began to go up. She was still too shocked by his presence here to come up with a good excuse.

"Robertson-san! Coffman-san! No talking!" the teacher reprimanded.

"_Saved by the Sensei,"_ Kyandi thought as she stifled a sigh of relief.

* * *

At lunch break, Kyandi waited in the lunch line with Joshu standing next to her. She was highly uncomfortable. As soon as the last server slapped a spoonful of vegetables onto her tray, she bolted toward the table where Ichigo was sitting with Moe and Miwa. "We have a problem," Kyandi hissed through gritted teeth.

"What's wrong, Kyandi-chan?" Ichigo asked cheerily.

"It's Joshu. He's-" Kyandi was interrupted by someone clearing his throat.

Ichigo looked up. "Oh. Joshu-san. What are you doing here?"

Joshu smirked. "I'm here to study while my parents finish their work here in Japan."

Kyandi's eye twitched and she whirled around. "I thought you said you had convinced them to take a _vacation _to Japan."

"I did," Joshu explained. "But then they bumped into some Japanese business big-wig or something… Aizawa, I think. They ended up making a business deal with him, and now we're going to be here for longer than we thought. Isn't that great, Kyandi-chan?" he asked with a fake smile.

"You have no right to be familiar with me!" Kyandi exclaimed in return.

"Aizawa?" Ichigo wondered aloud. Kyandi turned to look at her redheaded friend, and it dawned on both of them at the same time.

"Minto's father!" both girls exclaimed together.

Kyandi smirked and turned around. "Well now, Joshu. It seems that your parents are making a deal with the father of a friend of mine." Kyandi had no qualms about using the word 'friend' to get things that she wanted. "It seems like you should be groveling now. After all, it seems like my connections are more important than yours now. After all, who would the man be more apt to listen to? Two strangers that he just met, or his own daughter? Think about, Joshu."

"Kyandi-chan!" Ichigo exclaimed. "Don't blackmail him!"

Joshu's blue eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"Try me," she dared him.

Joshu frowned and turned around, walking away. Kyandi relaxed and smirked, sitting down next to Ichigo. "Good. Maybe he'll leave me alone for a while," Kyandi mused out loud.

"I can't believe that you just said that!" Ichigo blustered. "Minto is going to be angry with you when she finds out."

"You were very mean to the new kid, Coffman-san," Miwa added.

"I wonder if she'll get expelled," Moe laughed.

Kyandi waved away their worries. "I know Joshu, and Joshu knows me. We have a history together, and not a good one. He's just a desperate ex-boyfriend that's trying to get me back. All I want to do is get him _off_ my back. If I have to ask Minto for a favor," Kyandi paused and the air around her seemed to fill with a melancholy aura, "then so be it."

"He came all the way to Japan to get you back?" Miwa asked incredulously.

"Ooooh! How romantic!" Moe exclaimed.

"You want him?" Kyandi asked, raising her eyebrows at Moe. "You can have him!" She cast her ice blue eyes to her lap. "I just hope that Minto will be willing to cooperate."

* * *

**Author: Let's do another interview! Everyone, please welcome, Bu-Ling Fong!**

**Bu-Ling: Hello na-no-da!**

**Author: So, Bu-Ling, what do you think of Kyandi?**

**Bu-Ling: Sometimes she's funny, like when we drew on Robertson-san's face, na-no-da! But sometimes, she's scary too na-no-da. But for the most part, I like her na-no-da!**

**Author: (smiles) Great. You seem to be the first one.**

**Bu-Ling: I feel sorry for Kyandi onee-chan right now. I know what it feels like to lose a mommy. **

**Author: (sympathetic look) Yes, Bu-Ling, you do. This is going to be a hard time for Kyandi. Maybe you can help her out?**

**Bu-Ling: Do you really think so, na-no-da? I can try, na-no-da!**

**Author: Thank you, Bu-Ling. Did I mention that you're one of my favorites?**

**Bu-Ling: You did now, na-no-da. And you're welcome, na-no-da. But, I have to go back now, na-no-da. I will see you later, na-no-da!**

**Author: She is so precious. It's totally adorable!**

**Bu-Ling: Oh! I forgot that I wanted to show your audience something! (balances on ball, spinning plates on tall sticks) Ta-da na-no-da! Whoa, whoa! Ah!**

***smash, crash, bump, shatter***

**Bu-Ling: Oops, na-no-da.**

**Author: AHH! You've ruined my stage! (angrily glares at Bu-Ling)**

**Bu-Ling: (laughing nervously) Bye! (runs away)**

**Author: (exasperated sigh) This might be the last interview for a while. I have to clean up my stage.**


	18. Fixing the Joshu Problem

**The next song on Kyandi's playlist is "Just the Way I Am" by Skye Sweetnam.**

* * *

"Absolutely not," Minto huffed, placing her hands on her hips and causing the poufy skirt of her café uniform to indent beneath her hands.

"He's never going to leave me alone unless you help me out!" Kyandi complained.

Minto grinned wickedly as she saw an opportunity. "Ah, I see." The girl with the black hair turned to face Kyandi Coffman. "You need me." Minto chuckled. "Alright. I will help, but I want something in return."

"Minto, don't be mean," Ichigo chided from her place in one of the café's dining chairs. The place was finally clean. Retasu, Bu-Ling and Zakuro had left already.

"I'm not being mean. I'm merely demanding payment for services rendered," Minto snapped hotly.

Kyandi rolled her big blue eyes. She had been expecting this. "Okay, shoot. What do you want?"

Minto blushed. "I…uh… er… I didn't expect you to agree so readily!"

Now it was Kyandi's turn to display a wicked grin. "Ooooo. It must be pretty embarrassing if you're reacting this way. What is it?"

"I – I," Minto stuttered. "I want… him."

"Who?" Kyandi asked, playing dense.

"J- Joshu," Minto murmured.

"Nani?" Ichigo screamed.

Kyandi made a face. "Ew. Why?"

Minto put her nose in the air. "I – I just do! It's really none of your business." She wasn't going to say that she liked being rich. She wasn't going to tell them about her father's plan to make her older brother, Seiji, his heir and leave her with nothing whenever the time would come. She wasn't going to say that she wasn't about to be poor like… well, like Ichigo and Kyandi. She wasn't going to say that she was looking for a rich suitor; that would make her sound like a gold-digger.

Minto continued, "So, Kyandi. I will put into action whatever plan you come up with so long as I can get what I want from it."

"_I _have to come up with the plan?" Kyandi asked dubiously.

Minto nodded. "Of course."

"Ugh, fine," Kyandi screwed up her face and thought for a moment. She snapped her fingers. "I've got it! Tell your father to make new conditions for the business deal. Something like this: 'Father, I really don't know if you should trust these foreigners. You have no security with their company. What if they betray you?' When he asks you what you suggest, you say, 'Perhaps you can set up an arranged marriage to protect your investments. Not even an American would dare to harm family.'"

Ichigo gaped at Kyandi. "Kyandi-chan, that's horrible! Evil! Minto can't manipulate her father like that!"

"It's brilliant!" Minto exclaimed with a bright grin. "Wait… What if Joshu has a sister and father arranges a marriage between Seiji and her?"

Kyandi smirked. "Joshu is an only child. You don't have to worry about siblings."

Ichigo pondered something for a moment. "If I'm not mistaken, Americans don't do things that way."

Kyandi nodded. "Yes, but Aizawa-san is not an American. And Americans have a saying, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.'"

Minto narrowed her brown eyes at Kyandi. "What makes you think that his parents will agree?"

"I'm not so sure that they will," Kyandi replied honestly. "However, if the business deal is made, Joshu will be your fiancé and required to act as such, which means no more messing around with me. And if the deal is not made, then his parents really have no more reason to stay in Japan. Either way, I win."

Minto scowled. "So this plan guarantees your happiness, but leaves mine to chance?"

"You said that you'll do it as long as you can get what you want," Kyandi retorted. "You _can_ get what you want, but it's not set in stone. The possibility is there. And a possibility for happiness is better than no chance at all, right?"

Minto growled and turned on her heel, heading for the changing room. Just before exiting the dining room, she paused. "You know, Coffman-san, I used to think you were childish. But really, you're quite evil, aren't you? The childish ways are only a mask."

Kyandi just stood where she was with a smirk on her face.

Minto nodded. "I'll do it." And with that, she left the dining room.

* * *

Later that evening, Minto Aizawa went to her father and implemented Kyandi's plan. Mr. Aizawa walked through the door and was given the standard greeting by the maids. It was after that when Minto smiled and said, "Father, welcome home," with a polite bow.

"Minto, daughter, how are you?" Mr. Aizawa asked with a gentle smile.

Minto looked up at her father with worried eyes. "I'm concerned, father. I know that this probably isn't my place, so please forgive me, but I heard about your deal with the Americans, and-"

"The Robertson Group?" Mr. Aizawa looked surprised.

"Hai," Minto responded before continuing. "I wonder, father, if it is a good idea to trust these foreigners. As they have no previous connections to your company, it might be unwise to believe their word. What if they intend to overthrow you, father?" Minto began to act a bit emotional. "What would you do if they undermined you? Father, I'm worried. I know that you are very capable, but perhaps it might be best to eliminate the possibility of a betrayal."

Mr. Aizawa looked impressed. "Minto, my daughter, your reasoning is very astute for a girl of your age. I have had a similar concern myself, but I don't know what I could do to solidify these negotiations." Then, teasingly, he added, "I suppose you have a solution for that, huh?" Then he chuckled bemusedly.

Minto's voice trembled. "Actually, father, I do."

Her father stopped laughing. "What do you mean, Minto?"

"Father," Minto looked up into his eyes, "you should arrange a marriage between me and the Robertsons' heir. Surely, even an American would not dare to harm family."

Mr. Aizawa was shocked. "Minto… an arranged marriage?" He pondered it a moment before nodding. He couldn't dispute the fact that it would definitely resolve his problems. But… this was his only daughter! "Minto, are you sure?"

Minto smiled gently and nodded. "Yes, father. It is my duty to bring honor to my family. If these foreigners were to see us as family rather than competition, I have no doubt that this could really boost our family name. I am an Aizawa too, father. I will do what is honorable."

Mr. Aizawa beamed at his daughter, proud that she had already grown to be such a fine young lady. "Alright, Minto," he smiled. "I will invite them over for dinner tomorrow evening and we will discuss the arrangements."

"Yes, father," Minto bowed. Her father walked past her, and when Minto Aizawa raised her head, she was smirking. Her work was done. Now, it was up to the adults.

* * *

Around that same time, Kisshu Ikisatashi was on his way to his night job: the dangerous game with Kyandi Coffman. He had promised her only last night that he would never think of Ichigo again; he had promised that he would be serious. But being serious was so hard! He could stop to visit koneko-chan tonight, right? It wasn't like Kyandi could find out about it. Ichigo had never caught him in the past. Why should she catch him now? And with that thought, and a grin, Kisshu stopped and sat in the tree outside of the cat-girl's abode. He watched her for quite a while. She was so beautiful! He wanted her to be his, but… _"Remember why you are here, Kisshu. Our mission – your mission – is to save our people, first and foremost. … Just remember: your reputation back home is already in shambles. … If you want to repair your image in their eyes, you will have to do what is necessary." _Pai's words echoed in his ears. Yes, Kisshu knew that he would have to eventually dissolve his affections for the pink mew. But he could do that later. Five more minutes wouldn't hurt, right?

* * *

Kyandi Coffman was taking a nice, relaxing bath in the Jacuzzi. It was filled to the brim with bubbles and scented oils. While Kyandi might not have cared for the types of things that most girls treasured, bubble baths were a deviation from that standard rule. After a long, hard day, nothing felt better than resting in a cloud of white foam. The heat from the water seeped deep into her muscles and she very nearly fell asleep in the tub.

Once out of the bath, she dried her hair and slipped on her oversized T-shirt. She had just finished sliding on her underwear when there was a knock on her window. She looked up. It was Kisshu, of course. She wondered what had taken him so long. He used to come over while she was in the middle of doing her homework. But all of her work was finished for this evening. She had even had time to take a bath.

She slid open the window. "Where were you?"

Kisshu blinked. "What's the matter, Kyandi-chan?" He smirked. "Did you miss me?"

Kyandi returned his smirk. "Maybe. What's it to you?"

"I'm sorry," Kisshu said in a fake pouty voice. "Here, let me make it up to you." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

Kyandi thought that this was awfully forward of him, but she had to pretend like it didn't bother her. "Oh, I think I'm a bit too mad for that to fix it," she purred.

"Well then," Kisshu smiled, pulling back, "let's go somewhere that we can be alone together, neh?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Just what are you planning to do, Kisshu-kun?"

Kisshu felt something within him stir at her usage of the familiar honorific. "You'll have to come with me to find out," he answered.

Kyandi was hesitant. "No trees," she advised as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Alright," Kisshu agreed. He leaned in and enveloped her lips with a kiss. When he pulled away, they were someplace else.

"Where are we?" Kyandi asked. The view looked familiar, and she could tell that they were very, very, very high up. As she unwisely looked down, she was able to see that they were atop a huge, red structure. "Tokyo Tower!" she gasped, clinging onto Kisshu a bit tighter. _"Great. He discovered that I have a little bit of anxiety about heights, so he brings me to the top of this 333 meter building! That's 1,093 feet! If I fall, I'm a pancake… a very dead pancake… and not a tasty one like the kind that Akasaka makes." _

Kisshu gave a low laugh. "Don't worry. I won't let you fall." He rather liked having a female holding him tightly. It was a first-time experience for him. Come to think of it… he had had a lot of firsts with Kyandi, hadn't he? He thought about another first he might be able to have with her, and shook his head. That was unthinkable. She was a human, and not only that, but a Mew Mew. Something within himself told him that it was very wrong. But… oh, wouldn't it get him in trouble? Wouldn't it get everyone's attention? He would probably be punished. This boundary, if he crossed it, might be the thing to make everyone start caring about him. It would be unprofessional; he'd probably lose his job. But it would be fun and scandalous and most of all… wrong. Maybe… just maybe… he would get the discipline for which he yearned. If he pushed the envelope one more time, if he crossed another invisible line, then perhaps someone would care enough to tell him. Perhaps this would be too unacceptable. So far, the only others of his race who had punished him were Pai and Deep Blue. Perhaps this would be the final straw… but he wouldn't rush. This was a delicate operation. He would earn Kyandi's trust, little by little, until it was done. And when people would ask why he did it, he would say, 'I was only doing my job.'

Now, on top of Tokyo Tower, Kisshu held Kyandi Coffman close and kissed her. She returned his kiss, and the two of them had a passionate exchange. Then, the kisses ended. "You can trust me, Kyandi," he cooed gently. He told himself that he was only playing with a toy.

Kyandi chewed on her bottom lip a bit. "That's just it…" she admitted. "I'm not so sure I can."

Kisshu chuckled nervously. "What? Of course you can."

Kyandi shook her head before staring him in the eyes. "Why do you like me?" she demanded.

"W- What?" Kisshu looked confused. Why was she asking him this?

"You must have had some reason for pursuing me. Go on, spit it out. I want to know." Kyandi didn't know why she was asking this. She already knew that he was playing her in a game of espionage. Why did she have to confirm it? She knew that he wouldn't be able to come up with anything.

"I… I… You…" Kisshu began awkwardly. And then, he just knew what to say. "You laughed. The first day I met you, on the rooftop, you laughed at my joke. You thought it was funny. And then, while we were fighting, instead of screaming, 'Stop! Why are you doing this?' you goaded me on. You worked me up and made me mad at you, like you weren't scared of anything that I could do to you… like you weren't scared of _me_. And that's when I knew that you were better than Ichigo. That's when I knew that someone might finally give me a chance because… because…" he paused for a moment and glared at his feet, wondering how to put his thoughts into words. "It was because you didn't back down when I left to distract Mew Strawberry. It was because you countered my every word and action with one of your own, like some unsolvable enigma. It is because you're not like other girls, Kyandi-chan. You don't scream or run away. That is the reason I like you." Kisshu was surprised that he wasn't lying. But… if he really liked Kyandi… what did this mean? Did it mean that he was no longer interested in Ichigo? No… he liked both of them. Ichigo was a million times cuter than Kyandi, and Kisshu enjoyed watching the cat-girl spaz over minor things. But which of these attractions was closer to real love? He didn't know, and he tried to convince himself that he didn't care.

Kyandi wanted to believe him for some reason, but decided against it. _"Even in the unlikely event that he does love me, what good will that do? Everything I love betrays me anyway...or dies. I might as well jump the gun." _As she kissed Kisshu for the final time that night, she tried to think of a way to bring about his demise.

* * *

Joshua Robertson was lounging in his hotel room when his parents knocked on the door. He let them in and they sat on the chairs in the suite's sitting room. "Joshua," his mom said in English, "we have received an invitation to the Aizawa house for dinner tomorrow. Isn't that nice?"

Joshua frowned. "And… what does this have to do with me?"

"You've been invited as well, Josh," his dad explained, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Mr. Aizawa said that he'd like to discuss something important with us about the business deal. He requested that you be present."

The teenager groaned. "Fine. I'll go, but only because I'm obligated."

"And you _will_ be on your best behavior, understand?" his mother reprimanded.

"Yes, Mom," he agreed with a sleepy smile. Why did they have to tell him this so late at night? "I have school tomorrow. I need to sleep," he told them.

His father glanced into the room that contained Joshua's bed. The TV glowed on the wall. "Then I suggest you turn that television off, mister."

"Yes, Dad," Joshua nodded as his parents got up and left his room.

Once they were gone, Joshua frowned. "What has Kyandi done this time?" He smiled sinisterly. It was always so much fun to antagonize her. Her reactions where always the most intriguing of any girl he had ever met. Little did he know, this time he had provoked her a little too much. Joshua Robertson was about to get the surprise of his life. The message would be loud and clear: Don't mess with Kyandi Coffman.


	19. Dinner Time!

**Author: The next song is "I Want Candy" by Aaron Carter.**

* * *

Kyandi woke up the next morning and noticed that her bruises were starting to heal. She went to school and sat down in her seat in homeroom, hanging her bag off of the side of the desk. Joshu sat behind her.

"Kyandi, do you have any idea why my parents told me that I have to accompany them to the Aizawa household tonight?" he asked her.

Kyandi smirked. "Now, Joshu, why are you asking me?"

"You said that you'd do something," he responded. "Tell me what you did."

Kyandi laughed. "Oh, Joshu, Joshu, Joshu. I can't do that." She turned and grinned at him over her shoulder. "That would ruin the surprise." After that, Joshu ignored her for the rest of the day.

* * *

After school, Ichigo and Kyandi walked to the café together. "So," Ichigo asked, "how is your secret mission going?"

Kyandi laughed. "Which one?"

"Um… The one with Kisshu. You're supposed to be getting information, right?" Ichigo asked, blushing. How many secret missions did Kyandi have?

"Oh, right, that one," Kyandi nodded. "I got some pretty good intel about the Mew Aqua. It turns out that the stuff has some interesting properties that we didn't know about. Oh, that reminds me," Kyandi stopped walking and looked at Ichigo. "From now on, when we're battling, try to avoid getting worked up, no matter any of the aliens say, alright? It turns out that strong emotions could unintentionally help our enemy. We don't want that."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Help them? Help them how?"

Kyandi wrinkled up her nose. "I can't tell you that. If you know too much, you're liable to spout it off in some battle while you're getting emotional. Basically, the Mew Aqua will want to find you, so don't make it want to find you. That's all."

"Mew Aqua _wants_ things?" Ichigo asked incredulously as Kyandi started walking again. The redhead rushed to catch up.

"Well, no," Kyandi shook her head. "It's more like, Mew Aqua has the propensity to do things."

Ichigo made a face. "Pro… pens… what?"

Kyandi laughed. "Don't worry about it, Ichigo. Just don't get emotional during battles."

Ichigo continued making her face. "But we only won the Tokyo Tower battle because I got emotional. If I hadn't been so angry at Kisshu or desired so strongly to protect Aoyama-kun, then we wouldn't have found the Mew Aqua."

"That's the point!" Kyandi groaned in frustration. "Because we found it, _they_ also found it. Kisshu had planned that from the beginning."

"Really?" Ichigo absent-mindedly murmured. Suddenly, she clapped her hands together. "Oh! Aoyama-kun! That reminds me." Ichigo smiled in a dopey way that made Kyandi feel uncomfortable. "Aoyama-kun and I are going roller skating this weekend. I asked him to invite Chobichi-san, and I told him that you were coming too."

"You WHAT?" Kyandi hissed.

"I also told him to tell Chobichi-san that you were coming." Ichigo winked. "Kyandi-chan, you are going to have an encounter with love! I've seen to it."

Kyandi sweat-dropped as she stared at her friend. Yuta Chobichi was the guy with whom Kyandi had flirted weeks ago, on the day that she had talked to Ichigo for the first time. Ichigo had promised to get Kyandi a date with the captain of the kendo team, but Kyandi had thought that Ichigo had forgotten all about that. Where the heck did this random "double date" idea come from? Kyandi wanted no part of this! But how could she get out of it?

"We're meeting at the train station at three fifteen on Saturday," Ichigo continued to babble. "If you want, you can spend the night at my house. We can spend the morning doing each other's hair and nails and picking out cute outfits and…"

Kyandi began to look panicked as Ichigo described her worst nightmare. Give Kyandi Coffman a monster to fight, and she'd be fine. Assign her the task of seducing an enemy into revealing secrets, and Kyandi could handle it without a problem. But a sleepover? _That_ was scary. "Ichigo, I don't think that's a very good idea," she said hastily.

Ichigo stopped talking and turned to her friend. "Hm? Why not?"

"Well, I have my mission with Kisshu. He usually shows up to talk at night. If I were over at your place, he wouldn't be able to find me. And I don't think the date is a good idea either. If he found out that I went on a date with Chobichi, Kisshu would know that he was being used for info. It's just not a good idea," Kyandi explained. Man, she rocked at lying.

Ichigo shook her head. "You can have a night off. You don't have to talk to him all the time. Remember when we were too busy for me to see Aoyama-kun? He missed me a lot, and that's when he realized that he loved me. Sometimes it's good to be missed. Also, you can tell Kisshu that you went out with Chobichi to cover up the fact that you're actually dating the enemy. After all, if your teammates knew that you were talking to him, you might not be allowed to be a Mew Mew anymore." Ichigo smiled at Kyandi.

Kyandi looked shocked. "When did you get so smart?"

Ichigo winked. "As your friend, I must make sure that you find true love! I will do anything I can to help."

"Yeah, thanks," Kyandi said dryly, not sounding very grateful at all. _"I don't want to go out with Chobichi. I was merely toying with him. But… how can I tell that to Ichigo?"_

"You're welcome," Ichigo replied with a smile.

When they arrived at the café, Ichigo and Kyandi were surprised to find that only Retasu and Bu-Ling were working. "Where are Zakuro-san and Minto-san?" Ichigo asked.

Retasu, who was attempting to balance a tray full of desserts while pushing her glasses up her nose, answered, "Minto-san was excused for a family matter." Before she could provide an explanation for Zakuro's absence, one of her customers began to get irate. "Oh! Hai, hai! Coming!" she squeaked as she rushed over… or tried to rush over. The tray lost its balance and its contents fell to the floor. "Oh no!" Retasu gasped. Milkshake, parfait, and two slices of cake lay in a jumbled mess on the floor.

"I'll help you, Retasu onee-chan!" Bu-Ling shouted as she ran over with a towel.

"Zakuro-san had a toothpaste commercial to film today," answered Ryou. Kyandi was surprised to see that he was running the cash register. He frowned at the two girls. "You're both late, and that doesn't help matters any. Go get changed!" he ordered.

Ichigo nodded and ran for the dressing room. Kyandi followed. As they changed into their café uniforms, Kyandi laughed.

"Why are you laughing, Kyandi-chan?" Ichigo asked.

Kyandi gave a secretive smile. "I know the 'family matter' that is causing Minto's absence today."

Ichigo gaped at her. "Eh? You mean she went through with it? How do you know?"

"This morning Joshu told me that he had been invited to the Aizawa household." Kyandi chuckled again. "Oh, what I would give to be a fly on the wall in that mansion tonight!"

* * *

At that moment, Minto was getting primped and preened for that evening's formal dinner. The beauty routine took three hours, so she had gotten excused from work that day. She had even left school earlier than normal. A small sigh escaped her lips as Baaya worked on her hair. _"I have no feelings for this stranger, but this is better than being poor. Of course, it would bring shame on my family if I were to reveal my true love. And besides, Zakuro onee-sama isn't oriented that way."_ She was an Aizawa. She would do what was honorable, even if it broke her heart.

* * *

"Joshua, it's time to go." His mother's voice came through the suite door as she knocked.

Joshu fingered through his sandy brown hair once more, standing in front of the mirror, before he went to open the door. "How do I look?" he asked his mom. He had heard from Kyandi that Mr. Aizawa had a daughter. His plan was to make Ms. Aizawa fall in love with him, and then manipulate her into doing whatever he wanted. Girls almost always listened to their love interests more than their friends.

Joshu's mom took in the sight of him. He was wearing a grey Armani suit with a blue shirt underneath. The shirt made his blue eyes stand out so much. She was glad that her son was a handsome young boy. "Oh, you're always so handsome," she cooed like any mother would before stretching to her tiptoes in order to kiss him on the forehead.

"Mom! You're wearing lipstick!" Joshu complained.

"Oh, it's the no-smear kind darling. Don't worry," Mrs. Robertson told him with a nonchalant wave of her hand. She then put a hand on her hip and tapped her foot, standing there in her sparkly red dress. "Where _is_ your father? He said he went back to get his briefcase. It shouldn't take this long."

Mr. Robertson came running down the hall. "I'm right here, dear," he huffed from exertion.

"Good," she nodded at him. "Now let's go."

* * *

Minto sat in a chair in the foyer, waiting for the guests to arrive. As if on cue, the doors opened and the Robertson family strutted inside. Mr. Aizawa greeted his guests and introduced them to Minto, who stood from her seat and politely bowed. Then the group of people went into the dining room. For the adults, wine was poured. Minto and Joshu were given water. A seafood appetizer was placed on the table, and Mr. Aizawa made sure that everyone had partaken of it before he spoke.

"Let's get down to business," Mr. Aizawa began. Mr. and Mrs. Robertson set their food back onto their appetizer plates and paid attention with smiles. "I am looking forward to doing business with your company. However, I would like to create an unbreakable bond between ourselves in order to prevent any fraud toward one another. Create a security, if you wish to so call it."

While he was speaking, Joshu kept giving Minto seductive stares. He would get Kyandi's friend to prefer _him_ over Kyandi, and then he would be free to do whatever he wanted. There would be no more threat from the Aizawa family. Minto, noticing his small flirtations, blushed and attempted to flirt back. She wasn't used to flirting with guys, so it looked a bit awkward.

Mr. and Mrs. Robertson nodded at Mr. Aizawa's words. Mr. Robertson smiled and sighed in relief. "Yes, I was actually thinking of the same thing. I have drawn up several potential contracts that we could take a look at. I have them here in my briefcase, if you'll excuse me…" he began to bend down in order to retrieve his briefcase.

"That won't be necessary," Mr. Aizawa told him. "There is only one contract to which I will agree."

Mr. Robertson sat back up and nodded. His wife looked at Mr. Aizawa and asked, "And what contract would that be?"

Mr. Aizawa glanced at Joshu before looking at Minto out of the corner of his eye. The businessman nodded. "A marriage contract; my daughter will marry your son. Once we are family, it will be impossible for a betrayal to occur."

Mr. and Mrs. Robertson just sat there with their smiles frozen on their faces, wondering if Mr. Aizawa had just said what they thought he had said.

It was Joshu who reacted to this proposition. His blue eyes widened in panic and he splayed his hands and pounded them against the table while screaming, "Nani?" He had apparently pounded his hands too hard, because his chair began to tilt and he fell over backwards. "Ow," he muttered before awkwardly getting out of the fallen chair and standing up. He splayed his hands onto the table again and said tersely, "You can't be serious."

Mr. Aizawa glared at Joshu. Children were to be seen and not heard. "I can, and I am," he answered.

Joshu began to argue, but Mrs. Robertson interrupted him. "We accept," she beamed happily.

"We do?" Mr. Robertson stared incredulously at his wife.

"The heck we do!" Joshu objected, picking up one of his hands and slamming it onto the table again.

Mrs. Robertson gestured for her husband to lean in closer, and when he did, she began to whisper to him in English. "Darling, you know what type of person our son is. He's a total playboy! If we don't force him to settle down, the chances are that he never will. And who better to settle down with than a nice girl from a wealthy family like this? They don't have to get married right now, of course. We'll wait until they come of age. But Jerry, I want grandchildren before I die and I don't want them to be born out of wedlock!"

Mr. Robertson sweat-dropped as he pulled away from his wife. He nodded. "Yes, we accept, but there is a condition: they must wait until they come of age. They aren't allowed to get married before then."

Mr. Aizawa frowned, but agreed. "Of course. I'm not an idiot; don't patronize me."

Jerry and Wanda Robertson nodded at his words.

"H*ll no!" Joshu profaned, startling everyone else.

"Joshua, that is no type of language to be using here!" his mother reprimanded.

"I don't care!" he retorted, his face turning red. "I'm not going through with it, and you're bat crazy if you think you're gonna make me!" So saying, he stormed out of the dining room.

* * *

Joshu was angrily pacing in the foyer when Minto came into the room. "I'm here to calm you down," she said softly.

He glared at her. "Fat chance of that happening!"

"Joshu…" she began, "do you think that I'm thrilled about this? I-" She was interrupted.

"Of course you're thrilled about this! You and Kyandi planned this!" he raged.

Minto frowned. "Just because I'm doing this doesn't mean that it thrills me. I'm not allowed to do what I want. It would bring dishonor on my family if I were to do as I please."

"And what of it?" Joshu spat, raising his arms in an 'I don't care' gesture. "You should be able to do what you want. It's in the Constitution! Oh, wait… This isn't America. But still! The rights are like… inalienable or something. It shouldn't matter what country you're in."

"Well, she'd have to agree to it too… But she doesn't see me in that way," Minto murmured. She thought she had been quiet enough not to be heard.

Joshu stopped in his tracks. "You're a lesbian?"

Minto blushed, embarrassed that he had heard.

"So I have to marry a flat-chested lesbian?" Joshu asked her. When she didn't respond, he rolled his eyes and sarcastically drawled, "Fantastic."

After a while, Minto lamely retorted, "I'm not nearly as flat-chested as you."

Joshu's face screwed up into a strange expression. He stopped pacing and slowly turned on his heel in order to look at her. "Did you just say…?" The corners of his mouth slowly began to twitch upward, and soon he was laughing outright. "You're right! Of course as a lesbian you would want someone with a nice rack too." Joshu's laughter tapered off into a chuckle, which he stifled. He looked at her seductively. "Tell you what, if I get this girl to agree to go out with you, will you get your dad to call of the marriage?"

Minto blushed. "That's impossible! Even on the slight chance that she would agree, I could never dishonor my family like that! The Aizawas are respectable people. You should be thrilled that you get to marry into our family, you insolent American." Minto crossed her arms and huffed, turning on her heel and heading toward the dining room door. About to put her hand on the door handle, she paused and turned her head sideways, staring at the ground. "However, thank you for offering," she muttered with a slight blush. Then she slipped back into the dining room.

Joshu stared after her. That girl had some spunk; that was for sure. Her reaction to his teasing was kind of cute, but it wasn't nearly as exciting as the constant game he had had to play with Kyandi. He found it odd that even though his ex-girlfriend had pretty much verbally abused him during their entire relationship, he wanted more. It was the best challenge he had ever received, and Joshua Robertson wasn't about to turn down a challenge. Then he thought of Minto again. Wouldn't it be even more of a challenge to make a lesbian fall in love with him? This engagement thing did have some potential for fun. Something in the back of his mind found this new challenge alluring, but Joshu wasn't about to admit that Kyandi had defeated him. He ran a hand through his sandy hair and muttered, "I'm so screwed," before walking back into the dining room.


	20. Shopping Spree

**Author: Next song on the playlist is "Tangled Up In Me" by Skye Sweetnam.**

* * *

Pai lifted his head. "That's what Deep Blue-sama orders. We must obey it." The two aliens had just finished having a council with Deep Blue.

Kisshu frowned. "It's hard to try to secretly gain the trust of the enemy when you show up the next day and try to kill them."

Taruto reappeared from his mission of spying on Mew Mint. He was chuckling wickedly. "You guys are never going to believe what I found out!" Kisshu and Pai turned to look at him.

* * *

The next day, after school, Ichigo and Kyandi both had a day off from the café. Ichigo had made plans with Miwa and Moe to go shopping. Right now, the redhead sprawled across Kyandi's bed and yawned tiredly. "I really want to go shopping because there's a big sale today, but…" Ichigo began and trailed off as her voice gave way to another yawn. "…I seem to have misplaced my energy." Ichigo looked rather annoyed and complained, "Geez! Being part cat is so annoying. I keep falling asleep during the day and then waking up in the middle of the night. Why did Shirogane have to infuse me with a nocturnal animal?"

"Well, at least your animal is female," Kyandi retorted. "I know that I have naturally occurring testosterone issues, but seriously? A male peacock inside of me is not helping."

Ichigo yawned again and slurred slightly in her sleepiness. "What does that have to do with anything? I don't really see how that would be much of a problem…"

Kyandi wrinkled her nose at Ichigo's remark while thinking, _"Well, my periods have become irregular now. It's only been two weeks since my last one, and I started again today in the middle of class. That was especially embarrassing because Joshu was sitting right behind me and no doubt checking out my butt. I'll really have to tell Minto to control her man!" _Kyandi huffed in frustration and crossed her arms before heading to the bathroom. She frowned when she entered and came face to face with the mirror. She had just plucked her eyebrows this morning. Why were they already thick again? She groaned as she began her business.

Ichigo was feeling a little nosy now that Kyandi was out of the room. _"I've set up that date for her on Saturday with Chobichi-san. She just moved into the café a few days ago. I wonder if she brought any cute clothes. After all, cuteness is vital for a date…"_ Ichigo sat up on the bed and glanced quickly at the bathroom door, willing it to stay shut with all of her brain power. And then, suddenly, the redhead sprang off the bed in a frenzy and ran over to the wardrobe and chest of drawers. She flung the doors to the wardrobe open and saw that nothing hung in there other than school uniforms, so she closed the doors just as quickly and leapt over to the chest of drawers. Ichigo grinned like a madwoman as she dug through Kyandi's drawers. _"I'll pick out a cute outfit for her to wear to the skating rink so that Chobichi-san will _have _to like her. As Kyandi's friend, I will make sure that the two of them fall madly in love!" _Ichigo's grin slowly reversed its direction as she realized that while Kyandi had some pretty cute outfits, none of them would work for going roller skating.

Kyandi came out of the bathroom and stood watching Ichigo ransack her chest of drawers, baffled. "Ichigo," Kyandi asked peevishly while putting her hands on her hips, "what the heck are you doing?"

Kyandi's sudden appearance frightened Ichigo, and her cat ears and tail popped out in the distress. She whirled around to face her friend. Then, with a certain urgency, the cat-girl ran up to Kyandi and informed her, "You have nothing to wear!"

Kyandi's face screwed up in confusion, but her blue eyes sparkled with a small hint of amusement. "What?"

"You have to come shopping with Moe, Miwa and me today. You have nothing to wear for this weekend's date at all!"

Kyandi now realized that Ichigo was insulting her fashion sense and quite possibly thinking about forcing her to spend an entire afternoon in a _mall_, of all the dreaded places. "Excuse me?" Kyandi said in a rather offended tone as Ichigo tucked the cat appendages away. Kyandi Coffman didn't take crap from anyone. But more importantly, Kyandi Coffman _hated_ malls.

"You are coming with me right now!" Ichigo insisted, grabbing Kyandi's arm. "I'm sorry, Kyandi-chan, but it's for your own good!" And with that, Ichigo began to drag Kyandi out the door and down the steps.

"Hey, ow!" Kyandi exclaimed. "Sheesh, you're stronger than you look. What happened to misplacing your energy?"

* * *

Around a half hour later, Kyandi Coffman stood sulkily in the train station with her arms crossed and a frown on her face as Ichigo, Moe, and Miwa gushed over their purchasing opportunities.

"The Max Mama jacket and the Cecile Magobe dress!" Moe exclaimed while looking at her pink pocketbook. "The Blueberry Fields pants and Bikka socks!"

Miwa nodded with a smile and added, "I can't wait for the bargain sale at Le Chalet's. I've been saving my allowance for this occasion."

"I'm definitely going to buy a Bali-Bali skirt today!" Ichigo said determinedly. Then she turned to Kyandi. "What do you want to get, Kyandi-chan?"

"Huh?" Kyandi was snapped out of her I-hate-shopping daze at the sound of her name. It took her a moment to process Ichigo's question. "I uh… um…"

She never finished because the train loudly came into the station and stopped with a rather loud screeching of brakes. An announcement was made over the loudspeaker. "The train is going out of service because an animal has gotten on board."

"Aw! How come?" Miwa, Moe and Ichigo all complained together as they stared at the speaker. Behind their backs, Kyandi pumped her fist gleefully and resisted the urge to shout for joy.

"We're going to be late for the clearance sales!" Moe complained.

"Excuse me! Step aside please!" Ichigo heard a male voice say.

Kyandi watched as the redhead turned and a cat leapt from the train and collided into her, knocking poor Ichigo to the ground. Kyandi had to resist the urge to laugh.

Ichigo sat up and rubbed her head. She stared at the cat, and it spoke! "Oh, sorry!" he said. "I'm in a rush, so…"

Kyandi wondered why Ichigo started freaking out after the cat meowed.

"Eh? E-EEHHHHHH?" Ichigo gasped with a horrified expression on her face. "The cat - !"

"_Does Ichigo not like cats or something?" _Kyandi wondered. Then she chuckled. _"Well, that would be horribly ironic." _

At that moment, two authorities came rushing towards the girls. "Hey you! Stray cat!" they yelled. "How did you get inside?"

Kyandi watched in amusement as the cat meowed one more time, as if it were saying good-bye, and then rushed off in the opposite direction of the angry police.

"It spoke… right?" Ichigo asked.

Kyandi looked at the redhead with confusion. "What did? The cat?"

Ichigo nodded.

"The cat didn't say anything," Moe looked at Ichigo strangely.

Kyandi nodded and agreed. "Moe is right, Ichigo. The only thing the cat said was 'nya'; that's nothing unusual."

"But I could have sworn…" Ichigo trailed off as she stared in the direction that the cat had run.

"Earlier, you were complaining earlier about how tired you were. Maybe you're just hearing things," Kyandi explained.

"I- I guess so…" Ichigo muttered, looking entirely unconvinced.

"Come on! We're going to be late!" Miwa exclaimed.

Kyandi looked stricken. "You mean… we're still going?"

"Of course we are," Moe now gave Kyandi the same strange look she had been giving Ichigo.

Kyandi's happiness collapsed. Miwa helped Ichigo up from the ground. "Let's go!" Miwa urged.

* * *

Once they arrived at the mall, their first stop was the store that Miwa had spoken of. Le Chalet's was nothing but a place for simplistic clothes that were horrendously overpriced. Kyandi didn't like anything in here at all, and she wrinkled her nose at all of it.

Miwa went into the changing room and tried some things on. She came out each time to show her friends the new items. Ichigo and Moe clapped each time, while Kyandi just stood there and looked bored. Finally, Miwa came out in a blue jacket. "What do you think of this?" she asked them.

"Oh! It makes you look smart!" Moe cheered.

"It goes great with your eyes," Ichigo added.

They all looked at Kyandi to see what she would say. It took the caramel-haired girl a moment to pick up on what they wanted her to do. She sighed and admitted, "I liked the beige pants better."

The three girls all seemed equally shocked by Kyandi's statement. Kyandi merely continued, "Ichigo is right; the jacket does accentuate your eyes. However, it does absolutely nothing for your figure. The color of the pants is good for your light skin tone, while this jacket makes you look washed out. The pants hug you in all the right places and this jacket doesn't hug you at all. I'm not trying to be mean, Miwa; I just want you to look you best."

"R- right," Miwa nodded. "I actually liked the pants better too."

"But they're beige!" Moe complained. "That color is so ugly!"

"… On you," Kyandi supplied. "That's because you're blonde, and wearing beige pants would be overkill on the yellow tones for you, Moe. But it works for Miwa because she has dark hair. There's a good contrast there, and it causes her hair to stand out rather nicely. Because her eyes already contrast with her hair and the pants bring attention to the color of her hair, then in a way, the pants help her eyes stand out too. When you pick out clothes for yourself, you need to think about how they look on you and not how they look on someone else. At the same time, when picking out clothes for someone else, you have to think about how it would look on that person and not on you."

"Wow, you know a lot about fashion, Kyandi," Ichigo sounded surprised.

"Hai! Arigato, Kyandi-sempai!" Miwa nodded in agreement, now confident in her original preference. "I'm going to get the pants."

"I'm surprised that you were even paying attention," Ichigo admitted to Kyandi. "You were standing there and looking so bored."

"Hey, give me some credit!" Kyandi said teasingly. "Just because I don't like shopping doesn't mean that I don't know anything about it." She paused and looked around. The reason she hated shopping… that had to do with her mom.

* * *

"_Candi, I really don't think that this shirt works for you. The green one with the black stripes was very nice. But this shirt… Red doesn't really looked very good on you. Your skin tone has a lot of pink in it, and wearing red causes the pink to blend in too much. Also, your eyes are blue, and red is better for people with brown eyes."_

* * *

Miwa came back out of the dressing room with the pants and the girls all went to the cash register. Miwa paid for the clothing and they all left Le Chalet's and began to walk down the row in the mall.

* * *

_Twelve-year-old Candi Coffman hung her head sadly and turned back around in the doorway to the dressing room. She heard her mom speak up again. "Sweetie, you know that you're pretty, right? I just want to help bring that out a little better. You're my little girl, and I love you no matter what. It's because I love you that I tell you the truth. I don't want any mean girls saying nasty things about you."_

* * *

"Cecile Magobe!" Moe shouted, pointing to a store nearby. "Yay! That dress is in here." She grabbed Miwa by the hand and Ichigo by the wrist and pulled the two girls after her. Kyandi, lost in her own world, followed slowly.

* * *

_Candi forced a smile and turned back around. "I know, Mom. I love you too." Then she reentered the dressing room and closed the door. She pressed her back against the wall and slid to the floor in a heap of sorrow. She knew that her mom was trying to help, but Candi wished that her mother would be a little nicer about it. She already had enough insecurity…_

* * *

Moe grabbed a white dress off of the rack and went to the dressing room. She tried it on, took it off, and came back out. "It fits! Let's go," she smiled as everyone followed her to the register. Soon, they were back on the main row again.

* * *

_Candi remembered the earlier precedings of this sudden shopping trip._

_Her father had come home from work in a bad mood. Candi had been at the kitchen table, in his immediate line of fire. "Hey, you ugly little sh*t!" Jack Coffman had bellowed. Candi had begun to cry. At this point, she wasn't used to being his victim._

* * *

"There's Blueberry Fields," Moe said, indicating another store. The girls all went inside and Moe found her desired pants. After making sure that they fit, Moe exited the changing room and the other three girls waited by the exit of the store while she paid for the pants.

* * *

_Samantha Coffman had immediately stepped in to defend her daughter. "Jack, don't speak to her like that."_

"_Shut up, woman!" He gripped Samantha's arm roughly. "I'll make sure that our little girl isn't a crybaby. I'll teach her to be strong. Now get out of my way, b*tch!"_

* * *

"Bikka!" Moe exclaimed. "I'm only getting socks here. This won't take long. You can wait out here," she told the others. She was in and out rather quickly. "Now the only thing left on my list is the Max Mama jacket."

* * *

_Jack had thrown his wife to the floor. Candi had screamed. "Daddy! Daddy, stop it, please!" _

_Jack had ignored his daughter and had begun to hit his wife repeatedly. Candi had cried and shrieked in emotional agony, but her mother had stayed silent, accustomed to the torment._

* * *

"Bali-Bali!" Ichigo cheered happily. She grabbed Miwa and Kyandi and pulled them with her, leaving a disgruntled Moe to catch up.

In the store, Ichigo browsed through racks of skirts. "Which one should I choose?" she asked. Miwa said that she liked the blue one and the pink one. Moe preferred the white one, and she glared jealously at Kyandi, wondering why Ichigo had grabbed Kyandi's hand instead of hers. What was so great about Kyandi that Ichigo would prefer her as a friend? The girl wasn't even paying attention!

* * *

_After it was over, Jack had locked himself in his at-home office, his signal not to be disturbed. Samantha had quickly changed clothes and gathered her daughter into the car to go shopping._

_Now, Candi Coffman was crying in the changing room of Limited Too, and her mom was sitting outside, wearing a long-sleeved sweater in the middle of summer._

* * *

Ichigo smiled and came out in the white skirt, the last of the things that she was trying on.

"Oh, it looks great!" Moe cheered.

"I still like the blue one better…" Miwa admitted.

"What do you think, Kyandi-chan?" Ichigo asked.

Moe wrinkled her nose. Why was Ichigo asking _Kyandi_ for advice? The skirt looked great!

"I think you should get the pink one," Kyandi advised.

Moe scoffed. Pink? Really? The blonde grinned when Ichigo shared her sentiments.

"Do you really think that the pink one looks best?" the redhead asked insecurely.

"Oh, definitely," Kyandi nodded. Then, she winked. "Pink is your color, after all."

Ichigo laughed, realizing that Kyandi was hinting about her Mew Mew ensemble. "You're right. Pink _is_ my color!"

Moe was stunned. What was this? An inside joke? The blonde lowered her eyebrows over her dark brown eyes and stared at Kyandi with animosity as Ichigo disappeared into the dressing room and came back out, hanging the blue and white skirts on the rack for discards. "Right, well…" Moe huffed. "You've picked your skirt, so now it's onto Max Mam-"

"I think some of the stuff from Bali-Bali would look good on Kyandi," Ichigo said confidently.

"Oh! I do too," agreed Miwa, always eager to follow someone else's opinion.

Moe was taken aback. "But-! But what about my jacket?"

"We'll get around to it," Ichigo assured her as she began picking out things for Kyandi to try on. "Oh! I think this shirt would look nice."

"What about these pants?" Miwa asked, showing Kyandi a pair of jeans.

"Sure, whatever," Kyandi shrugged nonchalantly. "It's really hard to tell how something will look from how it appears on the hanger."

Ichigo grabbed three more shirts and thrust them all at Kyandi. "You should try them on!"

Miwa grabbed two more pairs of pants. "Yeah, you should!" She thrust those garments toward Kyandi as well.

Moe smirked and grabbed an ugly, camouflage patterned skirt. "Yeah," she played along. "You should try this on too."

"Um… okay," Kyandi nodded and took the clothes.

She entered the dressing room and hung the clothing up on the hook, letting the door close behind her. After making sure that the door was locked, Kyandi looked around the changing room. A lot of her memories of her mom contained a scene like this. And now, her mom was dead. Never would there ever be another memory made with her again. Kyandi Coffman once again pressed her back against the wall and slid to the floor in defeat. She wrapped her arms around her legs, leaned her head onto her knees, and cried.

* * *

**Author: Everyone, I am so so sorry that it took me so long to update! School started back up, and my teachers gave me way too much homework. I had stuff to fill out for graduation and meetings to attend. And then, when I finally did get some free time, the inspiration to write would not come. I kept getting inspiration to make AMVs instead. Seriously. You guys should check out my youtube channel, TheEmber 221. I've made four AMVs in the past two weeks! **


	21. Sex on a Beach

**Author: The next song on the playlist is "Crazy" by Melanie Martinez.**

* * *

Kyandi Coffman sat there crying. Was it weird for her to be wishing for Kisshu to appear any minute and take her away? Why was she even thinking about him, anyway? She usually never thought of him outside of their rendezvous. She stood up with a scowl on her face and wiped the tears away. Why was she thinking that her _enemy_, of all people, would rescue her? And rescue her from what exactly? She turned around and punched the wall. "Stupid!" she exclaimed every time her fist made impact. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

She wanted to get out of there, but Ichigo, Miwa and Moe were no doubt standing near the entrance to the dressing rooms. If she left now, they'd see that she had been crying. That would wound her pride too much. She wouldn't do it. She would try on the stupid clothes.

As she turned to look in the mirror, she realized that her mascara had run halfway down her face in the torrent of tears. She swore and shook her head. They would know anyway. Well… If her pride was going to be torn to shreds, she might as well make it dramatic.

She grabbed the untried garments and exited the changing room, hanging the clothing on the rack for discards next to Ichigo's unwanted skirts. Kyandi turned to face the three girls. Miwa looked surprised, Moe looked annoyed, and Ichigo read Kyandi's face quickly and put on a matching expression. "Kyandi-chan," she began, "what's wrong?"

"I- I- Ichigo," Kyandi sniffled, "I just can't do this." And then she bolted past them and out the entrance of the store.

"Kyandi-chan!" Ichigo gasped. She began to rush after her, but she still had the skirt in her hand. The theft alarms went off and a gate immediately came down from the ceiling and blocked Ichigo's way. "No! Kyandi, come back!" she hollered after her uselessly.

* * *

Kisshu groaned inwardly. He had been following the girls around. He loved taking advantage of the times that they spent together. He could always tell Pai that he was working by spying on Kyandi, and likewise tell Kyandi that he was only there to see her, when he was really enjoying watching Ichigo. Now, he had to make a choice. He could remain invisible and continue to watch Ichigo, or he could chase after Kyandi. There hadn't been a battle in so long that he was starved for Ichigo-time, regardless of the promise that he had made to Kyandi. However, Kyandi had looked really upset. She was probably really vulnerable right now. He could use that to his advantage…

He sighed as he warped away, comforting himself with the fact that he had watched Ichigo in the changing room.

* * *

Kyandi Coffman gasped and nearly screamed when an arm encircled her waist from behind. The scream was stopped by an invisible hand over her mouth. In her ear, a gentle whisper was heard. "Tell me, peacock. Why are you crying?" And then Kyandi Coffman felt herself vanish entirely.

* * *

Ichigo paid for her skirt and was allowed to leave the store. "Kyandi! Kyandi!" she yelled as she ran off in the direction she had seen her friend go. She didn't see her anywhere. The red head stopped for a breath, leaning forward and panting, her pigtails hanging down on either side of her face. "She's gone…"

* * *

Kyandi gasped as she reappeared at the beach. It was autumn, and it was actually rather chilly today, so there were no other people there. The invisible body regained its color, and she realized that a familiarly pale arm was wrapped around her waist. It had been his voice that had whispered in her ear. She turned her head. "Kisshu…" she muttered as his hand slipped off her mouth.

"Hello, peacock. Why is it that you only cry when you're alone? Don't you know that if you do that, no one can comfort you?" he asked, his golden eyes looking rather emotionless as he stared at her. But yet, she could feel all of the emotions that were hidden beneath them. Just like colorless, white light is the gathering of all colors into one, so seemed the emotions in his eyes.

He pulled her into a hug. She began to cry again, but stifled the noise. He was her enemy. She couldn't appear weak in front of him. She couldn't allow herself the vulnerability. But then he hugged her tighter and told her, "I won't tell you not to cry, peacock. Unlike all of those other Mews, you actually have something to cry about." And then Kyandi broke down. She let the tears fall again as she buried her face into his shirt and wailed.

Kisshu smirked and reached one hand up to pat her hair. "It's going to be alright," he soothed. He placed his chin on her forehead and calmingly said, "Tell me all about it. It'll be okay."

Kyandi began to blubber, telling him all about the flashback she had had while shopping. If Kisshu hadn't had the superior hearing of his species, he probably wouldn't have been able to decipher the noises that barely passed for words. Kyandi continued on. As she told him how much she missed her mother, he placed his right hand on her back and began to rub it gently. As she expressed how much she hated her father, he hugged her a little tighter. "And I can never see someone wearing a long-sleeved shirt in the middle of summer and not wonder if maybe they know what it's like," she sniffled. Kisshu removed his chin from her head and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "And I hate him for it! Now that my mom is gone…" she paused and sobbed into his shirt. "That poor excuse for a father is all that I have left. And what now? I mean… He's my family. He's supposed to love me. If my own dad doesn't love me… who can?" Then she broke down and bawled again, wrapping her arms more tightly around Kisshu.

Kisshu frowned in annoyance as small feelings of guilt and connection began to enter him. In bringing her here today, he had thought he might seduce her. Now, he felt a bit bad. Hadn't he struggled with emotions similar to hers? Didn't he know what it was like to feel unloved and unwanted? But he steeled his resolve and remembered that he had a job to do. He was going to get her to switch sides because… Because it would help his mission run more smoothly! There was no other motive than that, he convinced himself, as he leaned down and kissed her strongly on the lips. "How about me?" he whispered upon breaking the kiss.

Kyandi stared up at him suddenly. No! No, it couldn't be! He didn't really love her. He was just playing her, like everyone else did, to get what he wanted from her. There was no way that he cared about her! Right? And even if he did, she didn't care about him. Did she?

As Kyandi looked at Kisshu, she realized with a whisper, "You know more about me than anyone else in Japan."

Kisshu looked surprised. "Do I?"

Kyandi didn't understand it. Why did she trust Kisshu? _"No,"_ she told herself, "_you don't trust him. That's why you're not telling him anything about the Mew Mews." _But another voice whispered, _"But you are telling him about your past, letting him in on your biggest secrets and showing him your true weaknesses. That displays more trust than anything else could. Don't lie to yourself."_ A third voice agreed with that one, _"That's true. You're not stupid, Kyandi Coffman. No matter how much you trust him, you'd never tell him about the Mew Mews because… well, you know, he's trying to kill all of you." _

Kyandi's eyes began to fill with tears as she discovered that her resolve was slipping. Why? Why? Why? Her head filled with the lyrics to "Top Secret" by Hatsune Miku. _"Like a red, red, red, red apple/ At my sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet temptation I cry/ Long, long, long beyond my regret/ Is there anything at all?" _

Kyandi gripped Kisshu's shirt in her hand and stared into his eyes. She answered his second question first. "Yes, you do. You know more about me than anyone, really."

"_The sun, the sea, kisses, the future/ Is it wrong to ponder on those things?"_

She answered his first question next. "And how about you?" She paused and pretended to contemplate it extensively. Then a wicked smile spread across her face. "I guess I don't see anything wrong with it." Even as she said these words, her heart plagued her with guilt. There was definitely something wrong with it. If she chose Kisshu, she would be betraying everyone she knew on Earth.

"_Listening closely for an invisible enemy/ It frightens me – no – makes me sick to my stomach/ Even if you punish me once or twice/ I'll just continue coolly telling lies, won't I?"_

And so what if she did? Hadn't these people betrayed her a million times over? Had anyone come to help her mother while she was still alive? Had anyone without an ulterior motive rescued Kyandi herself from her father? No. (She suspected that Ryou had only helped her to prevent his Mew Mew plan from going sour.)

"_When I hold up the white, white, white, white light/ I slip beneath the dark, dark, dark, dark shadows."_

So why should she help people who hadn't helped her? Why should she be kind to those who had allowed her to be abused? Why should she save a world that had allowed her own to be crushed?

"_And a tiny, tiny, tiny secret is glorified."_

Kyandi Coffman had once told Ryou regarding Ichigo, "For girls like her, love is all they have. Don't be the reason for the destruction of her world, Shirogane. Otherwise, she may very well become the reason for the destruction of yours." But Kyandi Coffman wasn't aware of this fact: Love is all that any girl has. Love is every girl's world. And Kyandi Coffman's world had been destroyed long ago. Now, in an attempt to retrieve that lost world, she would sacrifice another.

"_Will anything ever change? / Surrounded by red, red, red, red lies/ Faint, faint, faint, faint tears surface again/ Though burdened with a deep, deep, deep debt/ I won't ever stop/ It's not like it's anything I loved/ Or any kind of big deal/ But what I touched and what I saw/ I made sure to take it all/ Whatever lies I wound with/ And whatever wounds I suffer/ I must protect what I must."_

Kyandi Coffman was protecting herself, first and foremost. She had been hurt so many times that this self-preservation instinct had become a part of her very soul. And it had only been strengthened by her infusion with a Red Data animal, as such animals only gave the Mew Mews power to resist alien parasites due to their own survival instinct, which was larger than average due to the fact that the species faced extinction.

Perfect Mew Mews are not created from only compatible DNA. No. Perfect Mew Mews are created from backgrounds that have instilled noble principles in the person with said DNA. Ichigo's and Retasu's traditional families, the Aizawa's strict code of honor, Bu-Ling's required responsibility at such a young age, and Zakuro's struggle to remain a good role model while she was in the spotlight, along with her religion. These were the things that made the others perfect Mew Mews.

Ryou Shirogane had overlooked an essential element when he had infused Mew Candy. Her fighting spirit was very strong, indeed. But it also rebelled against authority, a habit pushed upon Kyandi by years of an authority figure that was in the wrong. Kyandi was the embodiment of mutiny, and though unaware of it now, she would live to fulfill that role.

Kisshu's heart pounded in his chest. Had she just… accepted him? Her lips closed over his, and he began to process that, yes, she had. He couldn't believe it. He was in a daze until she gently nibbled his lower lip. Suddenly awakening, he roughly grabbed her shoulders and kissed back. One hand slid from her shoulder and down her back until it cupped her thigh. She raised this leg and wrapped it around him, and he encouraged her to do the same on the other side by moving his other to hand to a similar location. She consented, and both of her legs were now wrapped around his hips. He turned around and leaned forward, resting her back against the sand as he hovered above her. The pair proceeded to steamily make out on the beach as the sun set over the ocean behind them.

Kisshu's goal today had been to seduce Mew Candy. _"Mission accomplished,"_ he thought as he peeled off his shirt.

* * *

Kyandi Coffman stood naked in the calm, nighttime ocean. The water came up past her chest and only her head and shoulders bobbed above the surface. Her right hand was clenched into a fist that lay over her heart. The water was cold, and she wiggled her toes to bury her feet in the sand in attempt to warm them. The moon shone off the tops of the waves, seeming to plate the sea with silver. Kyandi stared down in the direction of her feet, though she couldn't see them beneath the dark water, and felt very ashamed. _"What have I done?" _she wondered. _"Why did I consent to that? Am I really so desperate for some kind of affection that I would give everything away so easily?" _She began to cry again, and so she briefly slipped her head beneath the surface of the sea in effort to disguise the tears.

About fifteen feet away, Kisshu was swimming in the nude with a stupid smile on his face. Tonight had been his first time, and he was still rather elated about it. He wanted to do it again! Ichigo was the farthest thing from his mind as he ducked beneath the water and swam beneath it toward Kyandi. His eyes glowed in the dark water, better enabling him to see. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he felt her stiffen as his head broke the surface. He began to kiss the back of her neck and shoulders. He slowly moved his hands up her waist and began to grope her.

"STOP IT!" Kyandi screamed, tearing herself out of his grasp. She stood straight and stiff as a board in the frigid water, shivering, but not from the cold. How could she have allowed him to do that? And why did she feel so bad about it? All of her life she had been told that it was only a natural thing that was supposed to be wonderful. She felt like she had been cheated. This didn't feel wonderful at all. She felt like a slut. Another tear ran down her cheek.

Kisshu stared at her back, confused. Had he done something wrong? "Kyandi-chan…" he began, reaching out an arm to touch her elbow. But as soon as his fingertips brushed her skin…

"No!" she shouted with vehemence, pulling her elbow away.

Kisshu was shocked and hurt. "Kyandi-chan, what's wrong?"

Kyandi gasped. He could tell? Well, of course he could. She had been putty in his hands only a few moments ago. She shook her head and steeled her voice before spitting out a comment that was as hard and cold as ice. "What, do you think I'm a factory for it?" She turned around and glared at him. "You're going to have to earn it, every single time. I'm not just going to give it to you." She said this because it made her feel like less of a slut. It seemed a little more right, that he would have to earn it somehow. But it still felt wrong.

Kisshu was disappointed, but he nodded in comprehension.

"So you understand?" Kyandi queried.

Kisshu nodded again.

"Good," Kyandi nodded back. Then, she gripped the string of beads around her neck and brought her pendant to her lips. "Mew Mew Candy, METAMORPHOSIS!" She transformed just for the sake of having clothes on. She exited the ocean with her peacock tail dragging behind her, soaking wet, and making a trail in the sand.

Overcome with guilt, she retreated down the beach until her path was blocked by cliffs. This strong emotion seemed like it would drown her, and she closed her eyes. Quite suddenly, she felt something else. A warm, nostalgic and healing power washed over her. She opened her eyes again and realized that her body was glowing. Mew Candy drew in a sharp breath. "Mew Aqua," she muttered.

* * *

**Author: Alright, I finally got my stage fixed. Time for an interview! Please welcome, Moe Yanagida!**

**Moe: Where am I? I'm supposed to be shopping with Miwa.**

**Author: No worries, Moe. You'll be back in your world soon enough. I just need you to answer a few questions for me, okay?**

**Moe: Alright...**

**Author: What do you think of Kyandi Coffman?**

**Moe: (frowns) She's a manipulative b*tch! I don't know why Ichigo even hangs out with her.**

**Author: Why do you say that?**

**Moe: You saw the way she treated that Joshu guy.**

**Author: Okay, I guess you have a point. But don't you think that Joshu was asking for it?**

**Moe: It doesn't matter. A lady never gets revenge.**

**Author: Oh? Like you giving Kyandi that really ugly skirt to try on?**

**Moe: (blushes) That's - ! That's different!**

**Author: How so?**

**Moe: (frustrated huff) Am I ever going to get my Max Mama jacket?**

**Author: Nope.**

**Moe: (whines) What? How come?**

**Author: And with an attitude like that, you'll never get a boyfriend either.**

**Moe: Hey, you litte - ! (disappears)**

**Author: Bye Moe! Have fun shopping! (smirks)**


	22. Living Water

**Author: The next song on the playlist is "Let's Fight" by Thompson Square.**

* * *

Mew Candy turned on the communication device in her pendant. When the pink heart began to blink, Ryou's voice came through the line. "Kyandi! Where are you? Ichigo told us that you ran away during your shopping trip. What happened?"

Candy rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the tiny feathers that lined the edges of the choker that held her pendant in place. "Sorry Shirogane. I was just running away from some bad memories. While doing that, I happened to bump into a certain alien and decided to continue my secret mission. He upset me, so I left, and now I think that I've found a Mew Aqua."

"You've found what?" Ryou sounded surprised.

"Yeah, I know, right? It's just randomly here, somewhere inside these cliffs at the beach."

"Which beach is that? Ryou asked frantically. Candy could hear typing sounds in the background and imagined that he was pounding the keyboard in desperate effort to find her location.

"You tell me," Candy answered coolly. "You see, the thing about running into aliens is… they teleport."

She heard Ryou mutter under his breath as the typing sounds became faster. "D*mn!" he swore when the typing ceased. "Candy, you're on Oshima Island. It will take us a while to get there, especially because it's night."

"Oshima?" Candy looked surprised. She turned her head to follow the cliffs into the trees. Her eyes went up to see a black, rocky form on the horizon. "Yep. There's Mount Mihara. It's strange that I didn't notice the volcano before."

"You say that Kisshu brought you there?" Ryou inquired.

"Um… Yeah," she answered sheepishly.

"Is he still there?"

"I think so, but I'm trying to avoid him at the moment," Candy admitted.

"Until we get there, I need you to distract him from the Mew Aqua."

"Distract him, huh?" Candy thought aloud. She brought her hand up and stroked her chin. She knew one thing that would definitely distract him, but she didn't want to do that again.

"What Mew Aqua?" came a voice from behind her.

Candy jumped and whirled around. Kisshu was hovering right there, and she wondered how much he had heard. He had put his pants back on, and she was glad for that, but he was still shirtless and barefoot.

"H- Hey, Kisshu," she stuttered sweetly, trying to look cute and pull off the 'hand in the cookie jar' act. "I thought you were still swimming."

"I came after you to see if you were okay," he replied. His arms were crossed over his chest and he frowned. "But if you're trying to avoid me, then perhaps I should just leave you here."

Candy was kind of relieved. It seemed that he hadn't heard her call him a 'secret mission'. She switched off her pendant's communication device and smiled. "Yeah, maybe you should."

Kisshu was a little taken aback. That hadn't been the reaction he was expecting. If she had been told to distract him, shouldn't she want to keep him from leaving? Shouldn't she be begging him to stay? He wasn't going to leave anyway, not when there was Mew Aqua around. He had to get it! Luckily, it seemed that Mew Candy was already emotional and glowing. This meant that the precious substance should reveal itself soon. "But I won't," he said with a smirk. "It seems there's something here that I still have to obtain."

Mew Candy scoffed. "Forget it. Do you think I'm just going to let you take it? Not a chance!" She smirked. "You're going to have to earn that too." Summoning her weapon with a shout of, "Candy Harp!" she leapt into the air and soared toward him.

Kisshu gave his eyebrows a quick raise. "This should be interesting," he muttered as his sai appeared in his hands and he dove toward her.

"Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" Candy hollered. A gale burst forth from her harp.

Kisshu managed to dodge it in time, but it threw off his own aim and he wasn't able to attack that time. He placed the tips of his swords together to generate a sphere of energy. He then whirled around in midair and fired it at the peacock mew.

Candy hissed when the electricity grazed her shoulder. The rest of the ball of light landed in the sand and fizzled out. Candy contorted her body and turned around, glaring at Kisshu as she fell toward the ground due to lack of momentum. Similarly to Kisshu's attack, she landed in the sand, flat on her butt. Fortunately, sand makes a soft landing place. On the other hand, she was now in a vulnerable position.

Noticing this, Kisshu vanished and reappeared in front of her. She tried to stand up, but he tackled her and held her down, leaving his sai discarded in the sand. His forced his lips onto hers and trailed kisses up the left side of her face until he got to her ear. Candy, assuming his intent was to force her into what she had told him he must earn, futilely struggled against him. Sticking out his tongue, he trailed it over her earlobe, causing her jaw to shudder in pleasure. Her mind became angry with her body for enjoying this sensation, but she didn't have to worry about that for long. The licking soon turned into nibbling, and then Kisshu used his fang to puncture her virgin earlobe.

"Ow!" Candy screamed. She raised her left arm and clapped him over the head with her harp, causing him to release her and back up.

He chuckled as his sai disintegrated in the sand and reappeared in his hands. "Just a little memento to commemorate the evening," he said in a disturbing tone.

Candy reached up and felt the hole in her earlobe. When she pulled her hand away, the moonlight made the blood shine wetly on her fingertips. "You're a sick pervert!" she frowned, rising to her feet and bringing her harp with her. She felt even more violated now than she had before. And now, in addition to being angry at herself, she was mad at Kisshu. No, she was more than just mad. She was furious.

Kisshu grinned wickedly. The more worked up she got, the sooner the Mew Aqua would show itself. He told himself that was the only reason he had made such a permanent mark on her body. But honestly, he was marking his territory. She was to first girl to actually accept him, and he had wanted to mark her as his property. It was something that was done on his planet to denote a pair of lovers, and usually some sort of decoration was placed in the hole to make sure that it didn't heal itself. There were some that took pride in multiple earrings, and Kisshu had always hated them for having multiple lovers when he couldn't even find one. He had seen humans wearing earrings too and wondered if they did something similar, but had never bothered to study the matter. Of course, never mind about that. It didn't matter, because that wasn't why he did it. Right?

Candy picked up her harp and pointed it at him. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!"

Kisshu allowed himself to be hit. It was only wind. It didn't hurt him very much, as he was used to resisting air when he flew. When the attack ceased, he laughed. "Is that all you've got, peacock?" he goaded. He smirked satisfactorily when she screamed and rushed toward him.

"What do you want from me?" she spat as she leapt forward and butted her head into his stomach, knocking him over.

Kisshu landed in the sand with a soft swishing noise as the grains of sediment made way for his form. He was surprised by her question, and he had no answer to it. What _did_ he want from her? The Mew Aqua? Her body? Her… love? He wasn't really sure. He knew for certain that her mission was to corrupt him into sympathizing with the Mews. But did that really explain why she had let him have all of her tonight? He still thought that Ichigo was cuter, but cute didn't seem as appealing anymore. Kyandi had spunk. Kyandi had tenacity. Kyandi was independent. Kyandi had attributes that the people of his culture idolized in females. Truly, didn't he want her? Was he only telling himself not to get attached for the fear of rejection? Didn't he believe that he wasn't worthy of her? That was the truth of it all, wasn't it? He didn't want to love her because he knew that if he did, he would be betraying his people. He couldn't deny it anymore. Kisshu Ikisatashi was in love with Kyandi Coffman. He was fighting it because it was deplorable, but at the same time, fighting it was impossible because it was just too powerful. Fighting it was tiring and kept him from having fun. It was a fight that he seemed to be losing. But loving Kyandi would mean losing everything that he had ever known. Likewise, discarding Kyandi would mean losing the only person that had ever made him feel like he was worth something. It was a lose-lose situation, wasn't it?

Kisshu decided that it was not. So what if he lost everything that he had ever known? The things that he had known hadn't been very pleasant. No one had cared enough about him to teach him what was right and what was wrong. So why should they be surprised if he did the 'wrong' thing? It felt as though in his whole life no one had done anything but betray him. Shouldn't they expect his eventual betrayal?

Mew Candy was crying now. Tears flooded out of her dark blue eyes as her entire body gave off a Mew Aqua colored glow. "What do you want from me?" she demanded again, aiming her harp at his face.

Kisshu made eye contact with her and answered, "Everything."

This response confused her. "What? What do you mean 'everything'?"

Kisshu stood and replied, "Your good days and bad days. Your hugs and your kisses. Your strengths and your weaknesses. That's what I want. I want your hopes and your fears, your dreams and your nightmares. I want to take them all, and I want to make them all better."

"What?" Candy spat.

"Peacock, I- I…" Kisshu paused. If he said this, there was no going back. His fate would be sealed. "I think I love you."

Candy dropped her harp. "Wait… What?" For a moment, she stopped crying.

"I said 'I love you', Candy."

And then, the tears began to fall again. But this time, she was smiling. She ran over to him and hugged him, leaving her harp behind to vanish. This flood of relief gave way to something that could only be called joy. Laughing and crying at the same time, she nuzzled against his chest. And then, a light from the cliffs drew the attention of both Mew and alien.

"The Mew Aqua," they both breathed at the same time.

Kisshu looked back at Candy and grinned. "Even though I love you, we're still enemies, peacock."

Candy grinned back and playfully jabbed him in the chest. "I wouldn't expect anything less," she cooed.

The two instantly broke apart and prepared for battle. The first thing that Kisshu did was hit Candy with a non-fatal shot of lightning from his sai. Candy screamed and was thrown backwards, crashing through the trees. She was surprised when she landed in a puddle of water. Here, in this little tropical forest, was a pond. A bubbling noise caused her to turn around. There, feeding this little pond, was a tiny waterfall. It was beautiful. Candy stood, remembering that Oshima was famous for its waterfalls. If she were any other Mew, Candy would have had an ecological epiphany and been inspired to protect the Earth. But Candy was Candy, so she shrugged and turned to leave.

When Candy once again stepped onto the beach, she saw Kisshu struggling to grab the Mew Aqua. But just like at Tokyo Tower, the blue orb propelled him away like a magnet of similar charge. She could hear him shouting various profanities as she ran toward the ball of light. She was glowing brighter than ever now. The emotions were strong. It was then that Candy had her epiphany - one about Mew Aqua rather than nature. Mew Candy realized why Mew Aqua only reacted to strong emotions. It wanted to _heal_ them, just like it wanted to heal everything else. The Mew Aqua was meant to heal, and it could heal anything that was wounded in any way.

As Candy approached the Mew Aqua, she seemed to develop a telepathic connection to it. Was the Mew Aqua… _alive?_ That would explain how it could be found in anything; it adapted to whatever was around. It went _inside_ of it and inhabited it. And it was communicating with her now.

"_I know what that one has for me, and I won't let him take me. It isn't his time,"_ it said, referring to Kisshu. _"But you, dear. You have a lot of hurt, and you are ready for it to be healed. Invite me to you, and I will give you the peace that you seek."_

At first, it sounded wonderful to Candy. But as they usually did, her inner walls forced her to act tough. _"What are you talking about?"_ she told it in a lighthearted tone. _"I'm fine. I don't need healed."_

The Mew Aqua seemed to sigh with disappointment. _"I won't force you into something you don't want, but I do wish that you would let me in. However, it is up to you, and you have chosen to reject my gift." _

Suddenly feeling guilty, Candy bit her lip and wondered if she had done something wrong. _"Look… Mew Aqua?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Could you maybe give me the power to defend you from him?" _She nodded in Kisshu's direction. _"I can protect you from him until the others get here. Then Ichigo and the others will take you away and use you to heal something that actually needs it."_

"_I'll consent,"_ the Mew Aqua replied.

"_Oh! And Mew Aqua! One more thing?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_If you're crystalized water, then why aren't you ice?"_

She heard the Mew Aqua laugh. _"The cohesive bonds in normal water cause it to expand when it takes on a solid form. My molecules lack those bonds, so I contract when I take on a solid form."_

"_But… that's impossible!"_ Candy gasped.

"_Why do you think I have such abnormal properties?"_

"_How could the aliens have made something so amazing?"_

"_You think the aliens made me?"_ the Mew Aqua gasped. _"No, no dear. I have always existed. I was never made. I have always been."_

"_Wait… What?"_ Candy was confused.

"_Now defend me, dear. There are so many people who want to use me for selfish purposes. I'll entrust myself to you for the time being."_ Then the Mew Aqua began to glow even brighter than before. Candy began to feel herself changing a little bit. _"There's the power you asked for, darling. You're going to need it."_

Kisshu finally quit trying to obtain the Mew Aqua. He flew over to the ocean and spawned three parasites, tossing them into the sea below. One enveloped a squid. Another landed on an oyster. The last infected a passing fish. Soon, three Chimera Animas stood in the rolling waves. The fish Chimera appeared very similar to the one that Mew Zakuro had destroyed a long time ago, with its silver scales and red eyes. The squid and oyster seemed to be only larger versions of the original creatures, as most Chimeras from the sea did.

Kisshu surveyed his three soldiers before shouting out, "Attack!"

Mew Candy saw the Chimera fish lunge for her. It parted its lips and spewed forth a stream of water. She flipped out of the way in time and summoned her weapon again. "Candy Harp!" She aimed at the fish. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD! Ribbon! SECRET CHORD! Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" Three successive attacks pummeled the monster into pulp. The parasite separated from its host and returned to its master. A little gray fish flopped on the sand.

The other two Chimeras decided to attack in tandem. The squid began to charge and swing its tentacles as the oyster hopped forward on its lone foot. Candy moved to dodge the tentacles and didn't notice the oyster sneaking up on her with its maw open. The peacock mew fell backwards and landed inside the crustacean's shell. The top began to close and Candy had a bad feeling that she was about to be made into a pearl. But that big, flat shell… It looked like a good sail. It only needed a little wind. Candy smirked. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" she shouted. The wind attack pushed against the shell and unhinged the oyster's maw. The Chimera Anima disintegrated and another parasite floated away.

The squid was the only one left, but it wasn't going to be easy. Candy stood up and brushed the sand from her dress with her right hand, clutching her harp in her left. She fanned her peacock tail out and decided to try out Ichigo's crummy catchphrase. "For the future of Earth, I'll be of- AAAHHH!" The squid wrapped two of its tentacles around her and lifted her into the air.

Kisshu smirked as he appeared beside her, stroking the tentacle of the squid Chimera as if the monster were nothing but an oversized pet. "It appears that I've won, peacock." Though he didn't plan on killing her, he teasingly cooed, "Any last words?"

Candy shouted, "Calamari!" before biting into one of the tentacles that held her. The Anima screamed in pain and dropped its victim. Kisshu looked a little shocked as Candy fell toward the sand.

Once Candy was on the ground, she ran toward the shoreline on pure instinct. The water seeped into her boots, but she continued into the sea until she was knee deep. She held her harp out to the side and began to spin. As she spun, she rose upward in a manner similar to Mew Strawberry's attack. The air beneath Candy began to twirl and spiral until a funnel was created. This slender tornado was nearly twenty feet high: the same size as Kisshu's squid Chimera. Candy stopped spinning and pointed her harp toward the squid. "Ribbon! CANDY TWIST!"

Kisshu's eyes widened as the tornado came barreling toward him and his Anima. Having no time to think, he teleported away and left his monster to suffer destruction.

* * *

Ryou, Keiichiro, and all of the other Mews were in a helicopter over the sea, going toward Oshima Island. Keiichiro was flying the vessel, and Ryou was staring at a bunch of navigation instruments. One measured the amount of wind in an encompassing area, and Ryou's eyes bulged when he spotted a red dot appear on its green screen. "There's a sudden tornado at Oshima!"

"But we're almost there!" Ichigo complained.

"We have no choice," Ryou snapped back. "We have to turn – Hold on. It just stopped." He stared at the little green screen again. The red dot had vanished. "What the heck was that?"

* * *

Mew Candy landed in the water with a splash. She felt entirely drained of her energy. Sluggishly, she crawled out of the ocean and collapsed onto the sand. "Candy Twist, huh? A brand new attack… Thanks, Mew Aqua…" were her last words before she passed out.

As though it were trying to help her sleep, the orb of Mew Aqua ceased to glow and dropped to the sand, appearing to be an ordinary glass ball, turning out the lights and leaving Candy to dream.

* * *

**Author: Did anyone catch the allusions in this chapter? Let me know what you think I'm referencing to. If you're right, I'll give you a cookie! No interview this chapter. It's already over 3,000 words. : P**


	23. Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight!

**Author: We'll be skipping the playlist today. Also, for those of you who were looking forward to the sequel of American Mew Mew, I'm sorry. It won't be written. I have no passion for those characters anymore. Plus, I find it impossible to write Kisshu as a nice guy now. I have read too many tgwWhale stories. -_-**

**Speaking of tgwWhale, he gets a cyber-cookie! And so does SonicXMinagirl.**

* * *

Kyandi Coffman awoke to someone roughly shaking her right shoulder. "Kyandi! Kyandi!" Ryou's voice called. "Kyandi, wake up!"

Kyandi coughed and sat up, noticing that she had shifted back to her human form. And she was still naked! "Get your hands off me, pervert!" she shouted at him. Ryou blushed and backed away from her, and it was then that she noticed the others, minus Zakuro, standing around her as well.

"Kyandi-chan, are you okay?" Ichigo asked with concern.

Kyandi just looked at the redhead with blank, emotionless eyes.

Retasu removed her cream-colored school sweater, revealing her white blouse underneath, and handed the sweater to Kyandi. The Mew Aqua-eyed girl slipped the article of clothing onto her body and didn't say a word.

"I found the Mew Aqua," said a voice as the sound of feet on sand made its way closer to the group. Zakuro stood there, holding the seemingly normal glass orb.

"It's alive," Kyandi breathed while staring at the Mew Aqua.

"What?" Ryou spat skeptically.

"The Mew Aqua…" Kyandi paused to take a deep breath. "It's… alive." The girl stood on wobbly legs, thankful that Retasu's sweater was long enough to cover everything. "It spoke to me," Kyandi whispered. "The Mew Aqua spoke."

"It spoke na-no-da?" Bu-Ling sounded in awe. The others gasped as well, except for Zakuro, who listened to Kyandi's words with a small smile on her lips.

"No… I guess it didn't truly speak. It was more like it _thought_ to me, like somewhat of a telepathic connection. The Mew Aqua is alive. The aliens didn't make it at all; in fact, no one did. The Mew Aqua told me that it has always been. It is eternal. _Eien._" **(1)** Kyandi paused to stare at the ground. "It unlocked a part of me, a sleeping power." She wiggled her toes in the sand and let out a breath.

Ryou's eyes widened. "The sudden tornado… Was that… you?"

Kyandi nodded solemnly. "Ribbon Candy Twist," she muttered.

Ryou frowned and turned to his legal guardian. "Keiichiro, go restart the helicopter."

* * *

The next day was Thursday. Kyandi Coffman woke up to a really annoying sound. There, on the pillow next to her head, was a white iPhone 5. She confusedly sat up and stared at the device as its alarm continued to blare.

"Do you like it?" asked a voice from inside her room.

Kyandi jumped a bit and looked up to see Ryou sitting across the room in the chair at her desk.

"I know that your other phone got demolished in a battle. I figured that it was my responsibility to replace it," he calmly explained.

Kyandi nodded slowly, only halfway understanding what he had said, still too sleepy from the previous night's adventure. She glanced back down at the phone and saw the time on the display. 10:01 a.m. Kyandi yelped and leapt from the bed. "I'll be late for school! Heck, I'm already late! Why didn't you set it to ring earlier, dill-hole?" she screamed at Ryou in English, having temporarily forgotten that she was in Japan in her morning drowsiness.

"Hey! Calm down!" Ryou commanded, also speaking in English. "Keiichiro called the school and told them you were sick."

"Oh…" Kyandi muttered. She sat back down on her bed and picked up the iPhone, sliding the lock and turning off the alarm. "In that case, I'm going back to sleep. Please get out."

Ryou laughed. "We figured you'd want the sleep after what happened last night."

Kyandi reached a hand to the hole in her earlobe and was suddenly overcome by a wave of guilt. Sleeping now would be impossible. "Actually…" she began, "I just need a break. Is it okay for me to go shopping today?"

Ryou blinked at her sudden change of mind, but shrugged and pulled out his wallet. "Here," he handed her a card. "Whatever you want, get it."

Kyandi was confused by the gesture. "Why?" she asked, accepting the card.

Ryou's face twisted into a pained expression. "I told you to distract him. Last night, on the beach, you were…" He hesitated before spitting out the word, "Naked!" Ryou grit his teeth in anger and exhaled loudly before speaking again. "All of this only happened because…" He stopped speaking and clenched his fist, glaring at the ground.

Kyandi felt guilty that Ryou was blaming himself. What would he do if he knew that she had consented before the Mew Aqua was even found? She decided not to tell him. She merely nodded and let him believe his assumptions. "Right," she whispered.

Ryou frowned and restrained himself from punching the wall. He clinched his jaw so tightly that a vein twitched beneath his skin. "Right," he replied tensely before exiting the room.

Kyandi felt really guilty, but swallowed the emotion and walked into the bathroom. She used some first aid supplies to clean her wounded ear, hissing between her teeth when the chemicals burned. In truth, she had always been too scared to get her ears pierced. She was a little glad that Kisshu had done it for her. She was going to buy some earrings now. And, since she had failed to find an outfit at the mall yesterday, she would look for something to wear to the skating rink on Saturday as well. She didn't really like shopping. She didn't even want to go, really. But Kyandi Coffman needed a distraction. The last thing she wanted to dwell on was what had happened on the beach last night. So, she pulled her shirt over her head and changed into something that she could wear outside.

* * *

As Kyandi Coffman walked down the street, she realized that there was no avoiding the thoughts that she was trying to escape. Her heart was filled with guilt, and her mind, with questions. _"What the heck was I thinking? Oh my gosh… What have I done? Kyandi, you're so stupid! What kind of freaky, extraterrestrial STDs exist on his planet? What if he has one and that's why his hair is green? Is my hair going to turn green now? Oh no!"_ She paused mid-stroll and squeezed her eyes shut in horror. _"What if I'm… pregnant? Oh crap! What if my stomach bursts open with weird, alien babies like in all of those science fiction movies?"_ She stepped forward again, resolving to put a pregnancy test on her shopping list. _"Would it even work?"_ she wondered. _"What if the chemicals for being pregnant with alien babies are different from those for being normal pregnant and the test thing won't be able to detect them?"_ Silently, tears began to trickle down her face as she inwardly chided herself. _"I'm such an idiot! I'm such a stupid, dumb, BAKA!" _Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"Hey, young lady, shouldn't you be in school?" Kyandi looked up to see a police officer blocking her path.

She thought fast. "Excuse me?" she spoke in English. "I don't understand you. What did you say?"

"Ah!" the policeman's hard frown dissolved into a smile. "You're a tourist. Forgive me, miss. I thought you were a student," the officer said in thickly accented English.

Kyandi put on a confused face and nodded slowly before walking away. As soon as she was sure that he wouldn't see her face, she smirked. Kyandi Coffman was a good liar. She had been trained in the art since her birth. In fact, it was so easy for Kyandi Coffman to lie that telling the truth seemed difficult in comparison.

* * *

Kyandi's first stop was a pharmacy. After reading the label on a pregnancy test and seeing that the test was only useful after a missed period, Kyandi wrinkled her nose and left the pharmacy empty-handed.

At the mall once again, Kyandi Coffman strolled along, looking at the clothes. She bought a pair of jeans in a store called "Sweet Stuff" and some long socks in a place named "Soxity". She did go back to the Bali-Bali store where she had went with Ichigo, Miwa, and Moe, finding a cute tank top there. After wandering around for a while, she found stylish jacket in a store by the name of "Max Mama".

Finally, Kyandi Coffman entered the nearest jewelry store. She bought three pairs of earrings: one large pair of white, rhinestone studs; one pair of small, metal studs; and one pair of low-hanging peacock feathers. After all of her shopping was finished, she headed back to the café.

* * *

Ichigo walked with Miwa and Moe. The two girls were walking her to the café, something that Kyandi normally did but couldn't do because she was sick today. Moe smirked. She hoped that Kyandi would stay sick for a while. It was time for Ichigo to remember who her _real _friends were.

* * *

In her room, Kyandi sterilized the rhinestone stud and pushed it into the hole in her left earlobe. She hissed in pain because the puncture was still rather fresh. After the earring was secured, Kyandi noticed the chill running through her room. She pulled her new jacket out of its bag, removed the tags and slipped it on. Afterwards, she opened her drawer to put away the other purchases and noticed Retasu's sweater. "Oh! I should give that back to her," Kyandi said to herself. She picked up the sweater and headed toward the stairs.

* * *

Upon reaching the café, Ichigo smiled. "Hey, thanks for walking with me you guys." Miwa and Moe smiled back. "Do you want to come in and get some cake? It's on the house for walking with me this whole way," Ichigo offered.

"Sure!" Moe exclaimed, and Miwa nodded happily. Moe was glad. How long had it been since they had all had fun without Kyandi? The blonde smiled brightly. Today was going to be great! Free cake, some friendly talk, and best of all, no… "Coffman-san!" Moe gasped as they entered the café.

* * *

"Arigato, Coffman-san, for giving me my sweater back," Retasu bowed politely.

Kyandi sweat-dropped at the overly polite gesture. "Hey, don't worry about it. It wasn't mine; it's not like I could keep it. And please, don't bow. I'm American. It makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Hai," Retasu answered before bowing again. "I won't need this sweater anymore, though. You see, I'm transfer-"

"Coffman-san!" a shocked voice practically choked.

Kyandi turned her head to see Moe standing between Ichigo and Miwa. The blonde scanned Kyandi's outfit and then exclaimed, "My Max Mama jacket!"

Moe was disgruntled, to say the least. How dare that skank wear the sacred jacket! There it was: the purple jacket with the pink, green and blue polka dots. This was the very jacket that Moe had saved up to buy for months. And yesterday, when the girls were at the mall, did Moe ever get to buy that jacket? No, of course not! And why not? Kyandi had run off and gotten Ichigo all worried, causing the rest of the shopping trip to be cancelled. Moe frowned and grit her teeth. She really wanted to punch that Kyandi Coffman to kingdom come, but knew that Ichigo would hate her if she did, so refrained.

"Coffman-san, I thought you were sick," Miwa voiced some concern.

"Oh, it was nothing serious," Kyandi lied coolly. "My stomach was hurting a lot this morning, and I thought it might be a virus, but it turned out to be menstrual cramps."

Miwa smiled awkwardly and Moe blushed. Ichigo gave a nervous laugh. "Well," the redhead spat, "I must get dressed!" and she dashed to the dressing room.

"So, what were you saying, Retasu?" Kyandi asked the bespectacled mew.

"I'm transferring to Okamura," Retasu said gently.

"Really! No way!" Kyandi exclaimed.

Retasu nodded solemnly. "I've been having bully issues at my other school for some time now. My parents recently found out about it, so they're having me change schools to get away from the mean girls."

Kyandi made a sympathetic face. "That's terrible, Retasu…" She put her arm around the green-haired girl and winked. "Well, don't worry. You just stick with me. I'll have your back."

Retasu smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Kyandi-san."

Kyandi smiled back, glad that the most formal girl on the Mew Mew squad felt comfortable enough to call her by her first name. And then, Kyandi went to get changed into her uniform. Retasu walked over to Miwa and Moe. "Welcome to Café Mew Mew! I'll get you seated."

* * *

Moe angrily stared at her chocolate cake. Not even chocolate could resolve her anger. However, she knew what would. "Coffman-san!" Moe called the café waitress over.

"Yeah?" Kyandi asked, walking over to the table.

"I need something," the blonde replied.

"What's that?"

"Revenge!" Moe screamed, standing up and slamming her chocolate cake into Kyandi's chest.

Kyandi gasped and Moe snickered. Miwa raised her hand to her mouth.

"Holy crap, Moe!" Kyandi exclaimed.

Moe chuckled. "What are you going to do about it, _slut_?"

Kyandi Coffman looked up with a furious frown on her face. Then, in a frighteningly low tone of voice, she murmured, "I don't take anybody's crap… or anybody's crap-colored cake." The wild look in Kyandi's eye made Moe gulp and back up a little. And then, Kyandi Coffman hit Moe Yanagida with a punch that knocked her sprawling.

"Kyandi-chan!" Ichigo exclaimed, rushing to and leaning over Moe. "Moe! Are you okay? Kyandi, why did you do this?"

"She smashed cake on me and called me a slut!" Kyandi exclaimed.

"Moe!" Ichigo chided her blonde friend.

"Ichigo," Moe pleaded, "you hardly ever hang out with Miwa and me anymore. You're always with Coffman! I can't take it anymore…" Moe began to cry. "Ichigo, you were my best friend. What happened?"

Ichigo made a sympathetic face. "I'm sorry, Moe." The redhead hugged the blonde before turning to look at her fellow waitress. "Kyandi-san, you over-reacted."

"Oh? So you're back to 'san' now, huh? Fine, see if I care!" Kyandi hollered before storming out of the room with a loud screech.

With an equally loud screech, Minto Aizawa entered the café. "My mother is ruining my life!" she declared. "She found out about my arranged marriage and is forcing me attend the same school as my fiancé!"

Ichigo blinked. "You're transferring to Okamura, Minto?"

Minto frowned and cast her dark brown eyes down to the mew leader who was inexplicably on the floor with a blonde girl's head on her lap. "Yes," Minto huffed. "And I'm not happy about it!"

* * *

**Author: 1) "Eien" is Japanese for "eternal". I merely restated it for emphasis.**


	24. Feelz! - And Also, Betrayal

**Author: Today's song is "Because of You" by Reba McEntire & Kelly Clarkson**

* * *

Pai Ikisatashi was taking an inventory of his opponents' weaknesses. Mew Lettuce was practically eating out of his hand with all of the sympathy that she felt for his kind. Mew Strawberry would surrender as soon as anyone touched her precious little boyfriend. Mew Pudding would sacrifice the world for her siblings, and Taruto had recently discovered that Mew Mint had a fiancé. Mew Zakuro was unfortunately still as much of an enigma as ever. Now, Mew Candy…

"Kisshu," Pai inquired, "how are things progressing with Mew Candy?"

Kisshu smiled somewhat dopily. "Things are going rather well. I don't think that it will take long to convince her to join us. And what's more, she seems to have developed a new power. If she were to become our ally, we couldn't fail to win."

Pai was surprised at this sudden change. "What caused this drastic turn around? Two days ago you told me that you had gotten nowhere with her."

Kisshu chuckled. "Well, I caught her in a weak moment yesterday evening. She needed someone to comfort her, and I happened to be available at the time."

Pai was suspicious. "Yesterday evening, huh? You seem to have been incredibly relaxed since then. What did you do?"

Kisshu gently licked the fang that he had used to pierce Mew Candy's ear. "Let's just say that I've finally made my mark," he grinned maliciously.

* * *

Ichigo brought Moe into the café's bathroom to get her calmed down. Retasu had brought some ice for Moe's chin, the place where Kyandi had punched her, since it was rapidly developing a bruise. "Moe," Ichigo lectured softly, "you should be nicer to Kyandi."

"Why?" Moe spat. "She just punched me!"

"You provoked her," Ichigo replied. "I might have only known Kyandi for a little over a month, but one of the first things I learned about her is that she's easily provoked. You should apologize."

"But… Ichigo! She's stealing you from me! You're my best friend. I don't want to lose you," Moe sniffled.

Ichigo frowned. "Moe, if I really am your best friend, then shouldn't you trust me not to forget about you? If you were my friend, wouldn't you know that?"

Moe objected, "You spend way more time with Kyandi than you do with Miwa and me! If you were our friend, you'd spend more time with _us_."

Ichigo sighed. "Moe-chan, right now, Kyandi-san is going through a rough time. She needs me more than you or Miwa do at the moment."

Moe frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Ichigo began to explain. "You know that her ex-boyfriend has been bugging her since he came here. Did you know that her mother died recently?"

Moe paused, shocked at what she was hearing. "N- No, I had no idea."

Ichigo nodded. "And that's not all. Her father is a very cruel person. He was becoming dangerously violent, so Kyandi had to move out of her home. Shirogane-san lets her live in the upstairs room of the café."

Moe placed a hand over her heart. "Oh my gosh, that's terrible! I didn't know her father was like that."

Ichigo still had one more thing to say. "It was bad memories that made her run away yesterday, when she left Bali-Bali in such a hurry. Everyone from the café went looking for her, and we didn't find her until almost midnight. However, when we found her…" Ichigo choked back the sorrow that was welling up within her. "Oh, Moe, when we found her, she was… she was naked and unconscious." Moe gasped and threw a hand over her mouth, and Ichigo continued. "Kyandi won't talk about what happened last night but… Moe, we think that she was raped."

"Oh no!" Moe muttered, tears streaming down her face. "I didn't know… I feel so bad now." Moe paused to cry a bit more. "No wonder she hit me. I called her a slut. Oh, Ichigo, I feel terrible! She was raped, and I called her a slut. Oh god! I have to go apologize!"

Ichigo shook her head. "Not now, Moe. When Kyandi is mad, only time or violence can calm her down. Unless you want to get punched again, I suggest you wait until tomorrow." Moe nodded, and Ichigo told her, "You'd better go home now."

* * *

Kyandi Coffman tore off her cake-covered uniform and flung herself onto her bed in nothing but her underclothes. Sobbing, she buried her face into her Pillow Pet. _"Moe's right. The b*tch is right. I'm nothing but a slut. A slut and an idiot! Why did I do that? Why did I let him take what he wanted last night? Why?" _She stood up and walked over to her desk where a picture of a woman with short, white-blonde hair sat inside its frame. _"Mom, if you were here now, would you be able to love me? I've screwed up so much that you'd probably be ashamed to call me your daughter."_ She crossed the room back to her bed and slipped on her oversized T-shirt. She didn't feel like coming out of her room for the rest of the night. "I'm sorry, Mommy," she muttered as she sat on the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. Leaning her head forward, she let the tears flow freely.

There was a knock on her bedroom door, followed by a tentative, "Kyandi-oneechan?"

The peacock mew couldn't help but smile at the innocent voice. "Come in, Bu-Ling."

The door opened and the small monkey mew stood there in her café uniform. "Akasaka-oniichan sent me to get your dirty uni – You're crying! What's the matter, na-no-da?"

Kyandi sniffled and looked up, wiping some of the tears away from her left eye. "Oh, nothing major, Bu-Ling. I just miss my mom."

"Oh," Bu-Ling's expression was filled with empathy. "Bu-Ling knows how you feel, na-no-da. When Bu-Ling was a little girl, Bu-Ling's mommy died too."

Kyandi's expression changed. She felt sorry for this little girl even more than she did for herself. What had Bu-Ling went through? Losing a mother while she was still so young…

The blonde child continued to speak. "Right before Mommy died, she told Bu-Ling to smile because Bu-Ling's smile can make people happy. Bu-Ling tried to smile, but it was too hard na-no-da. I- I told Mommy that I couldn't smile, na-no-da. Bu-Ling still feels bad that she couldn't smile for Mommy one last time. But do you know what, Kyandi-chan?"

Kyandi took in this precious little girl's face and shook her head. "No. What?"

Bu-Ling smiled. "I can smile now, na-no-da. Bu-Ling still misses Mommy; sometimes, misses her a whole lot na-no-da. But Bu-Ling can smile now. And one day, Kyandi-oneechan, you'll be able to smile again too."

"Bu… Bu-Ling!" Kyandi choked on her tears. She got up and quickly walked up to the girl. "Thank you," she whispered, bending down to hug the youngest mew. "Thank you, Bu-Ling."

"You're welcome, na-no-da," Bu-Ling spoke into her ear.

Kyandi pulled away and sniffled one last time to rid herself of her sorrows. "Now, you came up here to get my uniform." Kyandi scooped the dress off of the floor and handed it to her. "Here you go," she said with a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Thanks, na-no-da!" Bu-Ling grinned before leaving the room.

Kyandi watched her go. That little girl had cheered her up significantly. _"Mrs. Fong, you might have only been in your daughter's life for a short time, but you certainly made a positive impact on her."_

* * *

Minto Aizawa plopped a sugar cube in her chamomile tea. "Minto," Ichigo complained, "why aren't you working?" Minto merely ignored her, taking a sip from her teacup and letting the sweet, flowery flavor of the chamomile calm her exasperated nerves. She couldn't believe that her mother had commanded her to attend the same school as Joshu. Incidentally, this happened to be the same school that Ichigo and Kyandi attended. The lorikeet mew sighed. At least she wouldn't be totally friendless at Okamura, but she had to wonder why her mother enjoyed torturing her.

Retasu approached the table and pushed her glasses up her nose. She spoke in a friendly yet hesitant voice. "Minto-san, I heard that you are going to transfer to Okamura."

Minto looked up at her and frowned. "Yes, Retasu, I'm going to be the weird transfer student at Ichigo's school."

"B- B- But…" Retasu tried. She took a deep breath and started again. "But you won't be alone, Minto-san. My parents are making me transfer too."

"Are they?" Minto asked casually, only half-interested. She lifted her teacup to her lips once again.

"Hai," Retasu answered and then smiled. "We can be the weird transfer students together." She titled her head sideways.

Minto couldn't help but smile a bit behind her teacup. When she had swallowed what was in her mouth, she placed the cup back onto the saucer and said softly, "Thank you, Retasu-chan." Retasu bowed and went back to work.

Ryou came out from the back. "Hey, everyone, we'll be closing early today. Please tell all of the customers to leave." Zakuro and Ichigo nodded and proceeded to direct people out of the café. After all of the customers were gone, Ryou gathered everyone around a table and sat his laptop down. He looked around and noticed that one of his mews was missing. "Where's Kyandi?"

"She's in her room, na-no-da," Bu-Ling answered.

"I'll get her," Retasu offered, rushing away.

* * *

Kyandi sat on her bed, replacing sadness with anger. Living with her father had taught her that crying and sadness were marks of weakness. She pushed back the offensive emotions and concentrated on something that ticked her off. Ichigo had taken Moe's side in the argument. _"Kyandi-san, you over-reacted."_ It echoed in her head, over and over and over again. It hurt. Over the past week, Kyandi had come to find security in three things: her safety at the café, Kisshu's affections, and Ichigo's friendship. One of these three things seemed to have dissolved. "Ichigo," she muttered, "you defended that idiot. Did you forget whose favor in which you should be? Moe isn't a Mew Mew; she's not your ally in battle. If you're choosing her over me, then I'll show you the consequences of your decision."

There was a knock on her door. "Kyandi-san?" Retasu's polite voice called. "Shirogane-san needs to speak with us."

"I'll be right down," Kyandi told her. She waited until Retasu's footsteps faded away before coming out of her room, still wearing her nightshirt.

* * *

Kyandi now stood in the circle around the table with the rest of the mews. Ryou was showing them a region of Tokyo on his computer. "There is a large number of Chimera Animas here. They seem to be small, but the sheer number of them is enough to destroy that entire region in less than an hour. Girls, you need to get over there immediately."

"Leave it to us," Ichigo nodded, unaware that Kyandi was glaring at her. "Mew Mew Strawberry, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Mint, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Lettuce, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Pudding, METAMORPHOSIS!"

"Mew Mew Zakuro, METAMORPHOSIS!"

There was a pause. Everybody turned to look at Kyandi, who was still glaring at the mew leader. Aware of everyone's eyes on her, Kyandi sighed and brought her pendant to her lips. "Mew Mew Candy, METAMORPHOSIS!" The freshly transformed peacock mew surveyed her peers. A tense moment passed. "What are we waiting for?" Mew Candy spat tersely. The other Mews nodded in agreement, and they all dashed for the door of the café.

* * *

Once they had arrived in the region that Ryou had indicated, the Chimera Animas were easy to spot; and they were indeed numerous. There must have been two hundred of them! The creatures looked like bunny-chinchillas on fire, and they jumped around and lit everything ablaze. The Mew whose element was water wasted no time in extinguishing some of these Chimeras. "Ribbon! LETTUCE RUSH!" Her attack hit five of the mini-monsters, dissolving them into innocent little bunnies and menacing, jellyfish parasites.

Mews Mint and Pudding teamed up, with "Ribbon! PUDDING RING INFERNO!" trapping ten Chimeras, and "Ribbon! MINT ECHO!" dissolving the creatures back into their original forms. Mew Zakuro used "Ribbon! ZAKURO'S PURE!" to end fifteen Chimeras at once, and Mew Strawberry attacked with "Ribbon! STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!" The cat-girl's attack finished off around twenty Chimera Animas.

Throughout this battle, Mew Candy stood still on the rooftop, her arms crossed over her chest. She didn't fight unless a bunny-chinchilla tried to light her on fire.

"Hello, ladies!" Kisshu cooed, appearing above the heads of the fighting Mew Mews. Every girl except Candy was too busy fighting to look up at him, and Candy just refused to be cordial to anyone at the moment. Taruto and Pai appeared on either side of the green-haired alien, and Pai commanded his two younger brothers to hinder the Mews' progress. Taruto instantly flew down and engaged Pudding and Mint in a battle. Kisshu paused to look for Candy among the fighting Mews, but he didn't see her. Frowning, her dove down and began to tease Mew Strawberry instead.

Pai noticed Mew Candy standing alone on the rooftop of one of the skyscrapers. She wasn't doing anything; she merely stood there with her feathery tail folded behind her. He wondered if she were planning a sneak attack and decided to go up and nip her plans in the bud. "FUU RAI SENN!" he shouted, aiming his fan at her.

Candy noticed the attack that was hurling toward her. In order to avoid it, she leapt from the rooftop of the twenty-story building and into a free-fall. Pai appeared beside her and prepared to attack her again. "Are you an idiot?" she hissed in an accusing tone that made him stop.

Pai frowned. "You're a decent strategist," he told her. "I'm not giving you a chance to employ your strategy."

Mew Candy laughed as she fell, her feathers flapping in the wind. "If you knew my strategy, you probably would have let me be," she said patronizingly. Pai's eyes widened in surprised. "Oh well," Candy continued nonchalantly. "I suppose that I'll have to do this earlier than I planned. Candy Harp!" She aimed her harp at the ground and shouted, "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" The air that whooshed from her weapon created an updraft, and Candy fanned out her tail, allowing the wind to press against it in order to slow her fall and allow her to land safely.

"Give us the Mew Aqua that was found yesterday," Kisshu demanded of Mew Strawberry.

"Never!" she exclaimed dramatically. "Ribbon! STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!" However, Kisshu dodged her attack.

Mew Candy saw that her target's back was turned. She gripped her harp and aimed it at that vulnerable back. Pai watched with fascination. Kisshu glanced up and noticed her intent, too surprised to say anything. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" hit Mew Strawberry right between the shoulder blades. The pink Mew fell forward, and the world seemed to freeze. Taruto, Mint and Pudding stopped fighting and stared at the betrayal that had just taken place. Lettuce gasped before she was forced to defend herself from another bunny-chinchilla. Zakuro growled through clenched teeth as she spun her whip around, glancing over her shoulder to witness the precedings.

"Candy!" Mint shouted. "What the heck do you think you're doing!"

"Candy-onee-chan! Stop!" Pudding interjected.

Mew Strawberry stood to her feet and turned to face her enemy. "Why did you do that?" she asked quietly, still hurting from the sneak attack.

"You should be more careful with whom you side in an argument," Candy said matter-of-factly. "Choosing the wrong person could really come back to bite you in the *ss."

"Candy, please don't bring that petty thing into this," Mew Strawberry pleaded.

"You chose that Moe b*tch over me," Candy stated simply. "You chose a human over a fellow Mew Mew, Ichigo-_kohai_." She emphasized the honorific that denoted Ichigo as her junior. "Every decision has a consequence. This is yours. Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!" The wind attack barreled its way toward Mew Strawberry once more.

Strawberry shrieked and held up her Strawberry Bell, hoping that it would create a shield against this attack. She never found out if it would have. A flash of blue entered her field of vision and shielded her from the wind. The cat-girl opened her eyes. "Blue Knight!" she exclaimed.

"Who?" Mew Candy asked peevishly.

The blond alien glared at Mew Candy with cold, hard eyes and said, "I will protect Strawberry. I was born to protect her."

"Screw you!" she exclaimed in English. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!"

The Blue Knight turned around, grabbed Mew Strawberry, and leapt into the air, easily dodging the attack. The wind bowled over a dozen or so bunny-chinchillas, separating the parasites from their hosts. Candy growled in frustration.

The Blue Knight sat Ichigo down and turned around, summoning his sword, before rushing toward Mew Candy. "That's right!" Candy yelled. "Come at me. Come at me!" She prepared to attack him, positioning her fingers to stroke the strings of the harp.

Suddenly, the air in front of her rippled, and a familiar form appeared there with his back turned to her. "You're a d*mned idiot, you are," Kisshu told her. "This guy isn't to be messed with."

"Get out of my way!" Candy roared.

"No can do, peacock," he refused flatly. Kisshu crossed his sai in front of his face, and before Candy could say another thing to stop him, the Blue Knight's blade landed where the two sai crossed. "Hello again," Kisshu greeted the blond. "It's been a while, Blue Knight."

"You," the Blue Knight growled angrily. He lifted his sword away and swung it sideways, trying to cut into Kisshu's exposed abdomen. However, the green-haired alien side-stepped while chancing a stab at his enemy, and the fight was on, the two aliens going at each other with full vigor.

Mew Strawberry went back to eliminating Chimeras. Taruto went back to fighting Pudding. Mint began to eliminate bunny-chinchillas one by one, and Lettuce had been fighting this whole time. It was Zakuro who turned to Mew Candy now. "Ribbon! ZAKURO'S PURE!" entangled the peacock mew in a ribbon of glowing purple.

"Mew Candy," Zakuro spat, pulling her ensnared comrade closer, "I don't know what has gotten into you, but you need to get it out. If you don't pull it together, the entire world could die."

Candy smirked. "And what of it? There's not much left here for me: an abusive father, no mother, no friends. A new start? That sounds good to me."

Zakuro's violet eyes glinted with fear. "You can't be serious!"

Candy attempted to shrug, but winced with the burning sensation from the magical whip that bit into her skin when she moved. "The only thing left for me here is to fight. The only question I have to answer: for which side?"

"Candy, you spoke with the Mew Aqua. What did it say to you?" Zakuro attempted.

"Like I give a crap what a glowing piece of glass thinks?" Candy groused.

Zakuro shook her head. "Very well. If you want to be my enemy, then I cannot stop you. However, never say that you have no friends here. As long as you are our ally, you will also be our friend."

Candy stopped to think. So what if Ichigo had betrayed her? The pink mew leader was supported by the other girls. The other girls wouldn't be friendly toward Candy anymore if she decided to turn on Mew Strawberry. Candy thought to events of the past week.

_Retasu smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Kyandi-san."_ The green mew had finally become comfortable with calling her by her first name.

_Minto nodded. "I'll do it." And with that, she left the dining room._ Minto had agreed to help her get Joshu to stop bugging her, and Minto's behavior at the café clearly indicated that she hated helping with anything. To have Minto's help was something that was quite rare.

"_And one day, Kyandi-oneechan, you'll be able to smile again too," Bu-Ling said with a smile._ The youngest mew on the team had tried her best to be encouraging.

And here was Zakuro, reminding her not to throw it all away.

Mew Candy closed her eyes. "I – I'm sorry, Zakuro-san," she said in a small voice. "I didn't realize… I'm so sorry!" The length of the whip unraveled and Candy flung herself onto the wolf mew with a hug. "I am sorry, Zakuro-san. Maybe… Maybe I do have friends after all." She grinned. "For the first time…"

Zakuro gently pushed Candy back and met her eyes. "It isn't me to whom you should apologize."

Candy looked up and nodded. Then, she turned away and rushed toward Mew Strawberry, destroying every bunny-chinchilla in her path. Finally, she stood in front of her leader and then bowed. "Ichigo, I'm so sorry. I brought things from my personal life into my work environment, and that was very unprofessional of me. I apologize."

Mew Strawberry was surprised, but she merely nodded.

Candy went on to add, "It doesn't really matter if you don't want to be my friend anymore. We're still allies, and so I should conduct myself-"

"Candy-chan!" the pink mew gasped. "Why would I not want to be your friend anymore?"

Candy looked up. "Earlier today, you called me '-san', as if you were trying to end our familiarity." A flaming bunny-chinchilla leapt for both of them, and Candy whirled around. "Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!"

"Oh, Candy-chan! That wasn't the reason why I called you '-san'. I did it to show you respect, something that Moe hadn't done." Three more Chimeras came from the side. "Ribbon! STRAWBERRY SURPRISE!"

Candy turned around again. "So you mean this entire thing was a misunderstanding?"

Strawberry smiled. "I suppose so."

"Huh," Candy muttered. "Oops."

"I told Moe to apologize the next time she sees you," the cat mew added.

Candy grinned. "Thanks. Now, let's take these flaming bunny thingies out!"


	25. Caught in the Act

**Author: The next song on the playlist is "Sparks Fly" by Taylor Swift.**

* * *

It wasn't long until the rest of the Chimera Animas were defeated. With their task completed, the Mew Mews headed back toward the café. Ryou, who had been watching the entire battle via Masha-cam, immediately lit into Kyandi.

"What the h*ll do you think you were doing?" he spat at the peacock mew. "That is no way to behave in battle! And what was the reason for this? That petty little cake-fight earlier? Kyandi-san, you need to grow up! That doesn't matter."

"Grow up?" Kyandi grumped in reply. "Grow up? Shirogane, I'm fifteen! I can't be expected to act like an adult when I'm still obviously a teenager."

"Yes, you can," Ryou hissed in reply. "Take a page out of Zakuro's book. She's only a few months older than you. If she can do it, you can."

"Shirogane…" Zakuro murmured in a condescending tone. Zakuro Fujiwara knew herself to be a deviation from the norm. She thought it unrealistic to hold Kyandi to such a high standard, but she didn't say anything. She didn't really have to because…

"I'm not Zakuro!" Kyandi shouted loudly. "Zakuro's great and wonderful and perfect, and all of us know that you're in love with her, so just can it!"

There was a bit of an awkward pause. Zakuro gave Ryou a questioning glance, and when the blond blushed a bit, the wolf mew smirked slightly. Ryou regained his composure and stared at Kyandi with steel-cold, blue eyes. "Coffman Kyandi," Ryou began, "I'm concerned that you have attacked one of your fellow teammates over something trivial. But more than that, I'm concerned that your actions might have had a hidden motive. Thus, from now on, Kyandi, you are relieved of your secret mission."

"No," Kyandi gasped.

Ryou continued on, "You will no longer be permitted to spy on the enemy for us. I'm concerned that you have been coerced into attacking Ichigo, and I won't have this happening to anyone else."

"No!" Kyandi protested. "No, no, NO!"

"What mission is this," Minto asked, "and why didn't we know about it?"

"Secret missions aren't very secret if everyone is told," Ryou explained. "However, since she will no longer be performing this mission, I can now safely tell you three."

"Three?" Minto queried.

"Yes, three; you, Retasu and Bu-Ling did not know about this."

Minto became annoyed. "Yet Ichigo knew? What gave Ichigo the right to know?"

Retasu held up a finger. "Minto-san, Zakuro-san knew as well."

"Onee-sama is different!" Minto snapped.

Ryou held up his hand to calm them. "Ichigo knew because Ichigo is the leader of you girls. And Zakuro knew because well, Minto, you of all people should know what Zakuro would have done if she had thought Kyandi was a traitor."

Minto blushed as the memories flooded back: Zakuro sitting on the lamp post across from the lorikeet mew's bedroom balcony; Zakuro asking Minto to fight, and, when she refused, saying that dying now would make no difference; Zakuro taking out her whip and tearing a hole in the side of Minto's mansion. Minto blinked. Yes, she of all people knew what Zakuro did to deserters.

Ryou continued, "Kyandi was misleading Kisshu to believe that she had romantic interest in him, trying to get him to give us information that could turn the tides of this war. No doubt, he was doing the same thing with her. It was a challenge that I thought that Kyandi could handle. Apparently, I was wrong."

"I _can_ handle it!" Kyandi insisted. "I can do this, but I can't back off now. If I do that, he'll be suspicious of something. Please, Shirogane, I need to do this!"

Ryou raised an eyebrow at her. "No, Kyandi. I'm forbidding you to do this."

"I can do this with your permission or without it," Kyandi growled through clenched teeth. "I _will_ do this with or without your permission. Don't give me a reason to be angry with you, Shirogane. You won't like the repercussions."

Ryou was a little surprised. "Are you threatening _me_ now?"

"No," Kyandi answered. "I'm only saying that I will continue to interact with him, and I that I _will_ bring him down. However, if I'm angry at you, I might find myself venting my frustrations to the closest ear, whether it's elf-shaped or not."

"Candi Coffman, you try my patience," Ryou murmured in English.

"Ryou Shirogane," she replied in like tongue, "you try your luck."

Ryou frowned. She was manipulating him! On top of that, she was humiliating him in front of the rest of the Mew Mews. Of course, he didn't really have a choice. He could only consent. "Fine," he grumbled. "Continue the mission, but be careful not to let him mess with your mind." Kyandi nodded her acceptance of those conditions.

"Kyandi-oneechan is scary," Bu-Ling whimpered.

Kyandi, stunned at the monkey mew's sudden declaration, turned to look at the little girl's face. The expression that Kyandi saw there was one that was very familiar to her. She had seen it in the mirror several times, usually after her father had gone on one of his tirades. Kyandi's breath caught in her throat. She bit her lip and made eye contact with the frightened Bu-Ling. "Please," she said in a suddenly small voice. "Bu-Ling, please, don't make that face."

"Kyandi-oneechan…" Bu-Ling whimpered again.

"Gomen!" Kyandi exclaimed, turning away and rushing out of the café, ignoring the shouts that followed her as she disappeared into the trees.

* * *

"_I can't believe it…"_ she thought as she ran. _"I'm… I'm turning into my father! I never wanted to be the cause of a child's fear. Why? … Why? Why? Why?"_ Crying, she stopped and punched a tree, the rough bark bloodying her knuckles. Through the trees, the sun set in a similar display of red. "Why am I… turning into him?"

"Turning into whom, peacock?" asked a familiar voice.

Kyandi spun around to see Kisshu sitting in the branches of the tree directly opposite her. His eyes seemed tired, and there was a bandage wrapped around his right arm. Kyandi was quick to hide her bloody knuckles behind her other hand. "Kisshu, why are you here?"

"I was on my way to see you, but I had to stop for a rest," he answered truthfully. "Like I told you, that Blue Knight guy isn't to be messed with."

Kyandi nodded. "Thank you… for protecting me," she whispered.

Kisshu's large ears easily picked up the small sound, and he smiled tiredly. "Of course," he answered, looking at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "Like I'm going to let any other guy touch you?"

Kyandi laughed, and her tears stopped flowing. She reached her left hand up to wipe away the liquid sorrow, and that's when he noticed her other hand.

"Peacock! You're bleeding!" he said with concern. Shifting his legs, he dropped from the tree and hovered over to her.

"Oh… it's not so bad," Kyandi lied.

Kisshu frowned. "Yeah, I can see that," he sarcastically replied. He shook his head as his expression morphed into one of sympathy. "It needs to be cleaned," he stated simply. "Here." Then, he brought her hand to his mouth. Sticking out his tongue, he began to lick away the blood. Soon, he switched to kissing her knuckles, taking away small amounts of blood with every kiss.

Kyandi found this slightly embarrassing. "K- Kisshu…" she stuttered uncomfortably, a blush forming on her cheeks. She found it strange that his saliva began to fizz and sting in the open wound. "W- What are you doing?"

He looked up at her with his piercing, golden eyes. "My species has a gland in our mouth that produces an anti-bacterial acid. It only activates when it comes in contact with blood from our kind, but I guess that humans must be similar enough to make it work. However," he grinned, "you might want to avoid kissing me for a while. It doesn't taste very good."

Kyandi smiled demurely. It was sweet of him to take care of her. It seemed unlike his normal self, but she still appreciated it.

Kisshu held out his other hand, palm up, and summoned something. It was a small, glass vial of blue liquid. He uncapped it with his teeth. "Here," he told her, lowering her injured hand. "This is some medicine that Pai made to take care of my injury. It should easily heal a little surface wound like this." He tilted the vial over her hand, ever so slightly. A single drop of the blue medicine fell onto Kyandi's broken skin, and Kyandi watched in fascination as the wound began to close rather rapidly.

"Kisshu!" she gasped. "Don't you need that for yourself?" She glanced at the bandage that was wrapped around the entire top of his right arm. Beneath it was the injury that he had no doubt acquired while distracting the Blue Knight. She switched her gaze back to her hand. The wound that had previously been there was completely gone; there wasn't even a scar.

"It's okay," he assured her. "There will be enough. It apparently works better for you than it does for me." He grinned somewhat sadly. "I'm a bit jealous." There was a pause, and then he asked, "Can you untie this for me?" He indicated the bandage on his arm.

"Yes, of course," she answered. Gingerly, she reached out and placed her fingers on the tie that held his bandage on. Gently and deliberately, she pulled the two strands of cloth until the knot came undone. The bandage fell away, as long as Kisshu was tall, and Kyandi gasped at the gash in his arm that she saw. It was horribly deep and red, and just the sight of it made her want to vomit. "Oh, Kisshu," she whimpered.

He chuckled quietly. "This? This is nothing. I've had worse." He lifted the vial and poured its contents onto his wound. The horrible gash shrunk to about half its original size. Instead of being a scary, burning red, it was now a less threatening bright pink. The empty vial vanished into thin air, and Kisshu took the bandage from Kyandi's hand and began to re-wrap his injury. When he was finished, Kyandi helped him tie it. The sun could no longer hold itself above the oppressing horizon, and so it slipped beneath in defeat, leaving the two lovers in the darkness.

Kyandi stared into his tired eyes. "Again, thank you… for helping me. And… I'm sorry I got mad at you."

Kisshu wasn't paying attention. His eye was on Kyandi's left ear. In the newly shining moonlight, he saw an object twinkling there. "What's this?" he asked, reaching out to touch it with his fingers. Did he dare to hope?

"Huh? Oh, it's my new earring," Kyandi answered. "I forgot to rotate it, actually." She reached up and twirled the stud in her earlobe, hissing with the small sting that came from waiting too long to rotate it. When she had finished, she looked at Kisshu and smiled. "Do you like it?"

"Very much," he said softly. He looked at the ornament that she had placed in the hole that his fang had made, and a warm feeling spread over him. His mark would stay with her forever, because she had chosen to let it. This felt better than that night on the beach, somehow. It felt like a truer acceptance than the one before it. Before, she had merely given in to him. Now, she had chosen to keep him with her. The importance of that difference was not lost on him, and he moved forward and embraced her. "I like it very much," he whispered, looking at the bit of starlight that twinkled on her ear.

She rested her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It was strange. While human hearts seemed to be on a steady rhythm of two beats, his was not. Instead, it was on a strange, almost melodic timing of three beats: Thumpa-thump-THUMP. Thumpa-thump-THUMP. He had said that they were similar enough for his saliva to clean her wound, but there were still big differences.

Kisshu noticed the sour, acidic flavor of his enzyme dissipate. He pulled back somewhat and placed his left hand under her chin, lifting it upwards. Then he lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers. He began gently at first, but soon reverted to his normal, rough self. Kyandi kissed him back until his hands wandered somewhere that they didn't belong. She broke the kiss and admonished, "Kisshu, no." He moved his hands down to her hips instead, and they began to kiss again. Once again, Kisshu tried to put his hands on something a little more personal. Kyandi pulled back and warned him once more. "Kisshu, stop." One more kiss, and he tried it again. "Kisshu! Quit it!" she spat, pulling back.

"Please," Kisshu begged in a sensual whisper that sent a shiver up Kyandi's spine. Still, the peacock mew shook her head. Kisshu frowned. "Why not? It's not like we haven't done it before."

"That's what I'm worried about," Kyandi murmured.

Kisshu was surprised to hear that. "What?"

"Kisshu," Kyandi began, "what if I'm pregnant?"

The thought instantly killed Kisshu's mood.

"Is that even possible?" Kyandi asked him.

Kisshu gulped before answering. "It could be. If your DNA composition was similar enough to activate my healing gland, then there's a good possibility." He paused for a minute, staring through Kyandi with an emotionless and awkward expression on his face. "Do humans have five-chambered hearts?"

"F-five?" Kyandi sputtered. Well… that did explain the difference in rhythm. "No. Our hearts have only four chambers."

"D*mn," Kisshu muttered, regaining his emotion with a frown. "It's possible, then. The kid wouldn't be able to get proper circulation to his ears, and probably couldn't fly or teleport. But still, there's the possibility that you could be…" He trailed off, unwilling to say the word.

Kyandi began to get nervous. "So then… What if I am?"

Kisshu shrugged. "Geez, I don't know."

Kyandi turned and stared at the ground. "I should go."

Kisshu exhaled in defeat. "Kyandi, wait. Just… Please."

"What?" she spat, whirling around to face him again.

Kisshu paused. "Can I… just have a good-bye kiss?"

Kyandi shook her head. "Not tonight, Kisshu. I'm not in the mood." And with that, she stormed off, the grass swishing beneath her bare feet. She walked away in her oversized T-shirt, the one that she slept in, the one that she had been wearing earlier when she had transformed. She left him standing there, and she didn't look back.

Kisshu sighed as he watched her leave. "D*mn," he swore before teleporting away.

* * *

The alien reappeared outside the window of a certain cat-girl. Since Kyandi had rejected him, he needed a release tonight. Ichigo was sitting at her desk and scribbling away on something that Kisshu didn't care about. He hovered outside of her window, not bothering to hide himself in the tree this time.

* * *

Ichigo was doing her homework. School was so demanding! She really wished that she could be doing something else. She paused in her work to daydream about the roller skating date that she had planned for Saturday.

"_Ah! Aoyama-kun! Help!" Ichigo yelped as her wheeled feet began to get away from her._

"_It's okay. I've got you," Masaya Aoyama smiled as he caught her and lifted her up._ _"Alien! Alien!" he said. "Alien! Alien!"_

"Ichigo, alien! Alien!" Masha peeped.

Ichigo snapped out of her daydream and looked at her furry robot sidekick. "Eh?" she panicked. "Masha, what do you mean 'alien'? Where?"

"Over here! Over here!" Masha flew to the window.

Ichigo followed the robot with her eyes. She yelped when she saw Kisshu looking into her window. Leaping from her chair, she grabbed her pendant. She glared at his image through the window and began her transformation phrase. "Mew Mew Strawberry, META -"

* * *

Kisshu teleported away before Ichigo could finish. "D*mn!" he muttered, reappearing in the green fog the bathed the aliens' alternate dimension headquarters. She had seen him. She would probably tell Kyandi. And then, Kisshu Ikisatashi knew that he would soon be entering a world of pain.

* * *

**Author: Everyone, please welcome to the stage, Zakuro Fujiwara!**

**Zakuro: (stage-persona smile) Hello, everyone.**

**Author: So, Zakuro, what do you think of Kyandi?**

**Zakuro: (sympathetic face) I worry for her. Shirogane expects too much from a girl with the kind of past she's had. And with her mother's recent death, I honestly don't know how she functions. I know the feeling of losing someone close.**

**Author: I see. What is your opinion of her personality?**

**Zakuro: I suppose that she thinks she is a strong girl. But really, she is rather weak. I can tell that she doesn't truly trust anyone. To be too scared of being hurt to let anyone in - that's not strength. That's weakness.**

**Author: (nods) I agree.**

**Zakuro: I am truly worried about what she would do if someone whom she trusted betrayed her. I think that -**

**Author: No spoilers! Ryou was bad enough with that stuff when he had his interview... Darn the two of you and your foresight. And... speaking of the two of you, what do you think of him, Zakuro?**

**Zakuro: (coy smile) I'm not telling.**

**Author: Aw, come on! Why not?**

**Zakuro: You just said, "No spoilers!"**

**Author: ... Look at you, using my own words against me. Oh, well. Your wisdom is something about you that I admire. Anyways, until next chapter, bye-bye!**


	26. Sour Candy

**Author: The next song on the playlist is "Twisted" by Carrie Underwood.**

* * *

Kisshu looked around the green fog and called out. "Pai! Pai, where are you?" This was strange. His brother was usually home by now. What on Earth was he doing?

* * *

Pai stood inside of Retasu's bedroom, with its simple white walls and grey-blanketed bed. "Retasu, you can see how I'm conflicted, can you not?"

"Don't say anymore!" Retasu exclaimed, her eyes filling with tears behind her glasses. "You keep telling me that you hope to bring peace between our people, but then you continue to fight. It's nonsense!"

"I could say the same of you, Retasu-chan," Pai answered.

"You have no right to call me that!" Retasu sputtered. Hearing that Kisshu and Kyandi had been trying to out-manipulate each other had opened Retasu's eyes to what Pai had been doing all along. "I only fight to protect my people from your monsters; no, from _you_ monsters. If you had never attacked us, then we wouldn't be forced to defend ourselves. The offense here is _yours_, so don't try to pin this on me!" She stood in a defensive posture, ready to fight if need be. Her balled up fists were trembling; her locked legs were shivering, but still she stood and stared him down. "I will not be manipulated by you any longer!"

Pai frowned. "Is that so?" His fan appeared in his hand.

Retasu pulled out her pendant and transformed. "Come at me! I'm ready for you!" she declared.

Pai saw that there would be no use in this fight. The small quarters would limit his mobility, and Mew Lettuce was as familiar with the surroundings as he was not. "With that, Mew Lettuce, I bid you good night." And then, he vanished.

He reappeared in the green, hazy dimension to find Kisshu calling his name. "What?" Pai hissed.

"I was just wondering where you were. You're usually home earlier than I am," Kisshu answered.

Pai scoffed. "You usually take longer than this. What happened?"

"Kyandi's mad at me," he briefly explained. This wasn't exactly true, but it would be soon enough, so it didn't really matter.

Pai nodded. "Mew Lettuce has discovered my intentions. We'll have to discover another of her weaknesses."

"D*mn," Kisshu swore. "We're failing at this, aren't we?"

Pai cut his eyes and glared at Kisshu. "We will not fail. Even if we have to be here for the rest of our lives, we will not fail."

* * *

Kyandi Coffman awoke the next morning to find herself in a tangle of blankets. The alarm on her iPhone blared loudly. "Happy Friday," she mumbled. Then she dragged herself out of bed and walked over to her wardrobe. Pulling out a uniform, she got a humorous urge and tossed the garment onto the floor before climbing inside the wooden cabinet. "No school today," she muttered. "I'm going to Narnia." She sat in the wardrobe for a few minutes and wished with all her might, but she had no such luck. "Crap, it didn't work," she grumbled. Then she scooped her uniform off of the floor and put it on. All of her old bruises had finally healed, so she wouldn't have to wear that stuffy jacket today.

Walking into the bathroom, she picked up her comb and ran it through her hair. She had showered the night before, so she didn't bother to do it again this morning, and after combing her hair, she brushed her teeth. Opting to leave her hair down today, she was surprised by how much it had grown. It had previously only come to rest on her shoulders, but now it was almost to the middle of her back. The ends were fraying too. She'd have to get a haircut today.

She dashed down the stairs, grabbed a cheese Danish out of Keiichiro's supply of breakfast pastries, and ran out the door. After a twenty-five minute walk, she arrived at Okamura Junior High exactly at the same time as Ichigo, Miwa, Moe and… Minto? What was she doing here? Kyandi knew that Retasu was transferring to Okamura, but Minto?

"I can't believe that my mother is making me come to this commoners' school!" the heiress-with-no-inheritance said with an air of snobbery.

Moe was clearly star-struck. "You're Aizawa Minto, the child of cosmetic designer Aizawa Kiko! I love your mother's make-up and nail polish. Kiko Cosmetics makes some really awesome products. Isn't that right, Miwa?" The blonde tried to pull the brunette into her fangirling.

"Um… yes," Miwa answered, trying to fit in. "You mother's perfumes are especially wonderful, Aizawa-san."

"Hmph!" Minto exclaimed, crossing her arms. "She's a horrible parent, forcing me to switch schools and say good-bye to all of my friends."

Ichigo cocked her head to the side. "Hey, Minto." Minto looked at Ichigo, and the redhead continued. "I'm your friend, right?"

Minto consented. "Y- Yes. I suppose so…"

Ichigo smiled. "Well then, you didn't have to leave all of your friends, did you?"

Minto smirked and uncrossed her right arm, bringing her hand up to lightly rest her chin on it. "I guess not," the rich girl admitted.

Kyandi decided that this was the perfect time to make her entrance. "Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?" she asked in a tone of fake offense. Then she grinned. "Perhaps you should think of it as an opportunity to make new friends," the peacock mew suggested. Personally, Kyandi didn't understand why Minto was upset. Friends only existed to eventually disappoint. It would be better not to have any at all in Kyandi's opinion.

"Coffman-san!" Minto exclaimed. "You go here too?"

"That's Coffman-_sempai_ to you, Aizawa-kohai," Kyandi said with a jocular wink, teasing Minto for being her junior.

Minto laughed. "Sometimes, Coffman-san, it's hard to believe that you're older than me."

Kyandi frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

At that moment, Moe was bowled over by another girl trying desperately to get through the school gates. The green-haired girl who had knocked her over stopped and bowed. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed.

"Retasu!" Kyandi exclaimed.

Retasu looked up. "Kyandi-san." She looked to Kyandi's left, and then to her right. "Ichigo-san, Minto-san." Then the bespectacled girl smiled. "Good morning!"

Moe stood up, ready to get into it with the newcomer. "Watch where you're going!" she snapped, startling poor Retasu. "If you can't walk without bumping into people, then maybe you shouldn't walk at all!"

"Moe…" Ichigo chided.

Moe instantly regretted her words. Had she made Ichigo mad at her? "S- Sorry, Ichigo."

Minto made a face. "Well, Ichigo isn't the one you yelled at."

Ichigo nodded. "Minto's right, Moe. You should apologize to Retasu."

The blonde shuffled her feet and stared at the ground before mumbling out a barely audible apology. Retasu, ever quick to forgive, simply smiled. "That's okay," the green-haired girl told Moe. "I'm sorry too. I should have been more careful. My name is Midorikawa Retasu." Retasu politely bowed.

Moe blushed at this girl's formality. "I'm Yanagida Moe." The blonde returned the bow.

"Everyone, we'll be late!" Miwa warned. And without another word, the girls all hurried inside the school.

Kyandi's classes were almost uneventful. The only thing unusual that happened was when Joshu tried to flirt with her, she actually had a good comeback. "Don't let your fiancé hear that. After all, she goes here now."

"What?" Joshu whispered loudly, slapping his desk with both hands and leaning forward. The teacher reprimanded him for disrupting class, and Kyandi smirked and crossed her legs.

At lunch, Retasu and Minto joined Moe, Miwa, Ichigo and Kyandi for the duration of the period. And they weren't the only ones. Joshu carried his tray over and sat it down right next to Kyandi and directly across from Minto.

Minto blushed. "H- Hello, Robertson-san."

"Might as well call me by my first name," he told her. "We are engaged, after all." Then he picked up his sandwich and took a bite.

"EH?" Moe exclaimed. She leaned over and asked Kyandi, "So your plan really worked?"

Kyandi winced when Joshu gulped down his mouthful and coughed, "What plan?"

The caramel-haired girl faked a smile and said, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Moe." Then she lifted up her chopsticks and jammed a piece of sushi into her mouth. When an awkward silence ensued, Kyandi swallowed her food and changed the subject. "Hey, Ichigo. About that double date tomorrow… When are we going to meet?"

"Oh!" Ichigo exclaimed. "My parents say that it's okay for you to sleep over. We can stay up late and talk, and in the morning we can give each other make-overs!"

"What double date?" Miwa asked.

Ichigo squealed. "Aoyama-kun is meeting me at the skating rink tomorrow. And, we've arranged a date for Kyandi-chan and Chobichi Yuta-san as well."

"Eh?" Miwa looked at Kyandi in surprise. "You're going to date Chobichi Yuta, the captain of the kendo team?"

Joshu dropped his sandwich. "You didn't tell me this." He was worried that the girl he was trying to win back was going to replace him.

Kyandi snorted. "Why would I? It's none of your business, Robertson."

Joshu made an annoyed face. "The captain of the kendo team, though? That seems a little too cliché for you."

Kyandi turned to look at him. "Why do you care who I go out with?" she challenged.

Joshu was about to snap back a possessive retort, but then glanced at Minto. He couldn't flirt with Kyandi without his fiancé getting angry, and that could lead to the end of his parents' business deal with Mr. Aizawa. So, Joshu backed off. "I don't," he said nonchalantly. "I was just making an observation." Then he picked up his sandwich again and took another bite. Ichigo started filling Kyandi in on all of the stuff she should bring to the sleepover, and suddenly, Joshu got an idea. After swallowing his mouthful, he looked at Minto. "Why don't we make it a triple date? You want to go skating tomorrow?"

Minto hesitated before nodding. "Yeah, sure. I don't see why not."

Ichigo squealed with glee. "Yay! Minto-san! You can sleep over too!"

"H- Hey!" Minto shouted in surprise when the redhead suddenly enveloped her in a hug.

Joshu got up to leave, but before walking away, he looked down at Kyandi. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Retasu watched the whole scene with a quiet smile. She thought it was nice that everyone was so lively today.

After school, the six girls walked to the gate together. Moe remembered something. "Um… Coffman-san?" she began.

"Yes?" Kyandi responded tensely. She still wasn't happy with Moe.

"I'm sorry… about what I did to you yesterday," the blonde apologized.

Kyandi frowned. "Save it for someone who cares."

"Kyandi-chan!" Ichigo gasped. She rubbed Moe's back as the blonde began to cry. "You don't have to be so rude."

Kyandi merely shrugged.

On the sidewalk, they went their separate ways, with Miwa and Moe going to the neighborhood where they lived next door to one another, and Ichigo, Kyandi, Minto and Retasu all walking toward the café. Suddenly, Ichigo remembered something.

"Kyandi, since you're trying to get Kisshu be nice, do you think you could get him to stop peeping on me?" the redheaded Mew leader asked.

"What?" Kyandi snapped her head up, turning to look confusedly at Ichigo. "What do you mean?"

"Well… last night, he was outside of my window and looking through it. Masha alerted me that he was there, and I transformed to stop him. But by the time I had finished transforming, he was gone," Ichigo explained.

"He was looking through your window last night?" Kyandi asked, not wanting to believe what she was hearing.

"Yep," Ichigo confirmed.

Kyandi took a deep breath and let it out in a sorrowful huff. _"I can't believe it… I told him that I wanted him to be serious. After all of the things that he and I have done together, he still wants her too?" _Kyandi sniffled.

"Are you okay, Kyandi-san?" Retasu asked with concern.

"Yeah," Kyandi lied with a nod. She pretended to be fine until they got back to the café. But once they arrived, Kyandi Coffman ran upstairs and claimed that it would take her a while to pack for the sleep over.

She closed her door behind her, her ice blue eyes filling with tears. She got out her rolling suitcase and put in a lingerie ensemble: the only pajama option she had at the moment that was clean. Then she added the clothes that she had bought on her trip to the mall, including the coveted Max Mama jacket. She packed a few other things and finally collapsed onto the bed. She had packed in less than ten minutes. Now, she needed to think.

"_Kisshu was just playing me this entire time, wasn't he?" _she wondered. _"I can't believe that I was stupid enough to think that my enemy had actually fallen in love with me. I can't believe that I was actually stupid enough to believe in love! I was right in the beginning. Guys only act like they love so that they can get what they want. Oh, and Kisshu was a good actor too. Defending me from the Blue Knight? Sharing his medicine? Ugh. I should have seen through that. No one with a penis truly cares about anyone. Screw him! Screw men in general! If he dares to show his face to me in a non-battle setting again, I will _make it_ into a battle setting. I trusted him, and he betrayed me. D*mn him! I have enough stress after that fight with Ichigo yesterday. How dare he desert me now? Forget it! If he's planning to dump me, then I'll beat him to the punch. I will not be used like this!" _

She pulled out her phone and texted Ryou, telling him that she was going out in Mew form to look for Mew Aqua. Then she pushed open her window, pulled out her pendant, kissed the golden object and shouted, "Mew Mew Candy, METAMORPHOSIS!"

* * *

"Energy reading!" Pai alerted Kisshu while staring at the holographic screen of his alien computer. "Mew Candy just transformed. You should go resolve your issues with her. We can't afford to have her angry with us."

Kisshu nodded and vanished.

* * *

After she had finished transforming, she leapt out of the window and onto a balcony that jutted out from the café's second floor. Then she leapt from the balcony and toward the ground, but before she could land, she was caught by a pair of arms. And then she was somewhere else.

"Kisshu!" she exclaimed while staring up at him. Remembering her anger, she pushed at his chest and grunted, "Let me go!" When he didn't, she slapped him on his injured arm, causing him to drop her onto the grass. She had no idea where she was, and she didn't care. She just wanted to finish him.

"What's wrong, peacock?" Kisshu asked her, wondering if Ichigo had actually told her yet.

"You know perfectly well what's wrong, E.T.!" Kyandi shouted.

Kisshu took that as a 'yes'. "Kyandi-chan, don't be mad at me," he began.

"Why are you addressing me as if we know each other?" she asked him coldly. "I don't even know who you are. I thought I did, but I was mistaken."

"Candy, please," he pleaded.

"No," she shook her head, the plume sticking out of her hair swishing from side to side. "I won't be used by you anymore."

Kisshu winced, wounded by her words. "Peacock," he said, his voice cracking on that word, "do you really think I was using you?"

"I don't _think_ it; I know it," she countered with a glare.

"Candy, I bit your ear!" he exclaimed. "Don't you know what that means?"

"Yeah!" she yelled. "It means you're a sick, sadistic, perverted freak!"

Kisshu's face fell. "You… You really don't know what that means?" When Mew Candy only continued to glare at him, he sighed in agony. She didn't know the significance of her earring. She had never accepted him after all. "I see," he said painfully, lowering his head to stare at the ground.

"Don't pretend that you're hurting because of this," Candy growled in clipped tones. "If you want to act like you're in pain, I'll give you some pain to make that expression more accurate." She stretched her hand out beside her. "CANDY HARP!"

Kisshu looked up at her. "Candy… don't…" he begged.

"Ribbon! SECRET CHORD!"

The wind thrashed around Kisshu, stinging him with its chill. The magic in the wind hummed over his skin and made it burn. He was thrown backwards onto the grass. He looked up at his former lover with pain in his eyes. "Candy, I'm sorry," he told her.

"Save it for someone who cares!" she snapped.

Kisshu shook his head. "You're right," he murmured. "I don't know you." Then he disappeared.

* * *

When Kisshu reappeared, Pai asked, "How did it go?"

"Badly," Kisshu answered, still somewhat shaken up. "Very badly."

* * *

Kyandi pushed in the pink heart on her pendant and asked, "Is this thing on?"

"Yeah, I'm here," Ryou answered. "What do you need?"

"Um… I seem to have gotten myself lost," she answered. "Can you use your maps to help me find my way back?"

"Okay," Ryou answered. "You haven't been gone very long, and you're already lost?" he asked while typing her name into the GPS system. His eyes widened when he saw that she was on the other side of Tokyo. "Geez, Candy! You texted me five minutes ago. How did you get all the way over there?"

"It's complicated," she huffed.

By the time Candy got back to the café, it was time to go to Ichigo's for the sleep over. Slipping out of her transformation and up into her room, she grabbed her suitcase and returned back downstairs. "I'm ready," she told the redhead.

"Alright! This will be so fun," Ichigo giggled. Together, Kyandi, Minto and Ichigo all went to the cat girl's house. Kyandi hoped that it actually would be fun. She needed a distraction from her breaking heart.

* * *

**Author: Hey everyone! Sorry that it took so long to update. I was busy with homework, and then graduation preparations. I was planning to update on the day after my graduation party, but my dad broke my computer before the party started. (T.T) It took me two weeks to get my it fixed, and I already had most of this chapter on it, so it's not like I could have updated from my Mom's computer. I would have put this off until tomorrow, but SonicXMinagirl asked me to update it tonight. So here it is, hot off the presses! I apologize if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes. I'm too tired to go back and look for them tonight.**

**In other news, I have two new stories that I started on my mom's computer while mine was out of commission. I have a parody OC story entitled "Mewsers" (a combination of the words "mew" and "losers") which tells the story of five terrible Mew Mews. The other, "Love Crime", is a collaboration horror/tragedy I wrote with SonicXMinagirl, and revamps the cliché catnapping idea into something I can stomach. (It might be weird that I can actually stomach a horror story while fluffy romances make me nauseated, but to each her own.) Happy reading everyone!**


	27. Scandalous Sleep-over

**Author: The next song on the playlist is "My Happy Ending" by Avril Lavigne.**

* * *

Kyandi Coffman sat in the back of the Aizawa limo with Minto and Ichigo. The redhead was gawking at everything, making it obvious that she had never before ridden in a limo. Kyandi, however, sat back and stared out the window. Limos didn't impress her; Joshu had had one that was way more posh than this that he always used to take her out in. And even if Kyandi were impressed by limos, her recently soured relationship with Kisshu was a big enough distraction to tone down any curiosity that she would have had. With a dejected sigh, Kyandi watched the other vehicles moving past, hoping they would arrive soon.

Once they arrived at Ichigo's house, the chauffer opened the girls' door before fetching Minto's sleepover bag from the trunk. "Arigato," the lorikeet mew said stiffly as he handed her a bag. The chauffer then got out Kyandi's suitcase and gave it to Kyandi, who said nothing in response. The three girls proceeded to walk up the pathway to Ichigo's front door.

"I'm home!" the redhead called as she opened the door. "Kyandi and Minto are here too."

Sakura Momomiya rushed to the door in a flurry of excitement. "Hi, hi! Welcome to our home. I'm Ichigo's mom. You can call me Sakura-chan! I'm excited to have you both here. Which of you is Minto?"

"I- I am," Minto sputtered, aghast at this woman's friendliness. This was what Ichigo's mother was like? It was no wonder that the redhead was so happy all of the time. If Aizawa Kiko were anything like Momomiya Sakura, Minto would probably be a lot less stand-offish.

"It's nice to meet you," Sakura gushed. "I'm so glad that you decided to join too, even if it was last minute." She brought her hand to her cheek. "I hope there are enough snacks for everyone."

"Mom, this is Kyandi," Ichigo introduced. Kyandi attempted to smile and wave.

"Oh yes, of course dear," Sakura nodded. She then looked at Kyandi. "It's nice to have you here." She then looked back at Ichigo. "Why don't you allow your friends to take their things to your room? Then come down to dinner. Your father is working late tonight, so he won't be able to join us."

"Okay," Ichigo nodded. "Come on, Minto-san, Kyandi-chan." With a smile, the redhead led her friends upstairs.

As Kyandi followed Ichigo, she couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart. The warm way Sakura had greeted them at the door reminded Kyandi of how her own mom's voice had sounded over the telephone when she had made a few international calls last year. The ice blue eyes of the peacock mew grew dim, and tears pricked behind them. She would never hear that voice again.

* * *

Kisshu had spent the past twenty minutes being heartbroken over Kyandi's breaking up with him. _"I don't want to lose her. I- I love her."_ Such had been his thoughts since returning home. Now, suddenly, he had an epiphany. _"If I love her and don't want to lose her, then I should do something about it! Sitting here and crying won't help anything." _Kisshu stood up. "Pai," he said, "I want to help. Give me something to do." Kisshu had decided that he couldn't just sit there anymore.

"Good," Pai answered, "because I have an assignment for you. According to Taruto, three of the Mews are having a 'slumber party' tonight. I have accessed the Earthlings' search engine and discovered that at these 'slumber parties', girls often exchange secrets with one another. These secrets could be the key to bringing them down. And since one of the Mews is one on whom we have recently lost our hold—"

"Candy?" Kisshu asked monotonously. He was right on the edge of crazy mode, saving his energy for the violence that was to come.

Pai hesitated. "…Yes… Mew Candy. Since she is attending this party tonight, I figured that you could spy on them. In fact, it must be you. You are the only one who wouldn't seem suspicious if caught, as the Mews know of your obsession with Strawberry."

Kisshu tilted his head a bit to the side and asked, "What does this have to do with Strawberry?"

Pai took a deep breath before saying, "The slumber party is at Ichigo's house."

Kisshu grinned darkly. "Well, well, well," he said in a dark yet breathy voice. "Won't this be interesting?"

* * *

Kyandi stared down at her plate and pushed the mashed potatoes around with her fork. Sakura, knowing that Kyandi was from America, had made a Western-style meal for dinner. There was Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn on the cob. Kyandi was glad that Mrs. Momomiya had gone through all that trouble, but… she wasn't very hungry tonight.

Ichigo, of course, noticed right away. "Is everything alright, Kyandi-chan?" she asked, her eyebrows knitted in concern. "You haven't eaten anything."

Kyandi looked up. "Hm? Oh… I'm just…" she paused. "I'm just thinking about my mom, that's all."

Ichigo nodded solemnly and brought a piece of steak to her mouth. As she chewed, she wondered if she could do anything to make Kyandi feel better. When she didn't think of anything, Ichigo decided to distract her instead. Then she noticed the diamond stud in Kyandi's left ear. "Hey, Kyandi-chan, when did you get your ear pierced?"

Kyandi sighed. Now she was thinking about Kisshu. "That night… after shopping with you, Miwa and Moe," she answered honestly, disguising anything suspicious so that Sakura wouldn't become concerned.

"O-Oh…" Ichigo stuttered, realizing that she had probably made things worse. She hadn't meant to remind Kyandi of the night she had been 'raped'.

Kyandi, not wanting to talk anymore, picked up her corn on the cob and took a bite. The rest of the dinner was finished in awkward silence.

After dinner, the girls went up to Ichigo's room, armed with bags of snacks and cans of soda. The cat-girl sat down on her pink bed and grinned, dropping a bag of potato chips next to her. "This is going to be sooo much fun!" she giggled. "Let's change into our pajamas. That will really make this feel like a sleep over!"

Ichigo hopped off of the bed and went over to her dresser, pulling out a pink, cotton night gown that, while modest on the top, had a _very_ short skirt with slits up both sides. Kyandi went over to her suitcase and pulled out her black, silky negligée with the plunging V-neck. Minto opened her bag and blushed when she saw what the help had packed for her. (She had called her home earlier, told her Baaya about the party, and asked for a bag to be brought when the limo came to pick the girls up.) One of the maids had packed a white, lacy nightie that was see-through everywhere lower than the chest. Luckily, there was a matching pair of white underwear that would cover the essential area, but Minto was pretty sure that she was going to fire someone when she got back home.

The girls all took turns changing in the upstairs bathroom. Minto went first, and was glad that the nighty had loose pleats where the lace bunched together and didn't look quite as see-through as she had thought it would. Ichigo was next. It turned out that the slits in the side of her gown's skirt revealed part of the underwear beneath it. The redhead just smiled at her cute reflection, oblivious to just how baring it was. Kyandi was the last to change. The skirt of her silk nightie stopped mid-way down her thigh, and the V-shaped neckline plunged low enough to show off her ample, and normally well-covered, cleavage.

Ichigo blushed when she realized what the other two were wearing. "W- Why are you both wearing lingerie?"

Minto crossed her arms and huffed, "My maids are idiots; that's why."

Kyandi didn't want to admit that this was her only clean option at the moment, knowing that saying so would probably result in a much unwanted shopping trip. She waved away Ichigo's question and countered, "It's just us girls. It's not like it matters." Then she laughed. "We're not lesbians or anything, right?" She noticed that Minto blushed, and decided not to ask why.

"Let's play Truth or Dare!" Ichigo squealed.

Kyandi sweat-dropped. "No thanks."

"I'll do it," Minto answered.

"I object!" Kyandi insisted. She didn't want to be asked any revealing questions.

"Why, Kyandi-chan?" Ichigo whined. "It's fun!"

"Yes, why?" Minto asked in a voice that suggested the game had already begun and she was about to give Kyandi her first dare. "Are you scared? Are you hiding something from us? Is that way you don't want to play?"

"N-no!" Kyandi countered.

"Alright then. Prove it," Minto challenged.

Kyandi crossed her arms over her busty chest and nodded in determination. "Fine! I will."

Kisshu was hovering outside Ichigo's window, careful to use his invisibility shield this time. He had no idea what Truth or Dare was, but he was going to enjoy finding out. His eyes shifted from Ichigo's panties to Kyandi's cleavage. Yes, he was definitely going to enjoy tonight.

"I'll start," Minto volunteered. "Ichigo, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Ichigo answered.

"Have you ever kissed Aoyama?" Minto shot out immediately.

Ichigo's face turned the same shade of red as her hair. "Actually…" she admitted, "no."

"How boring," Minto sulked.

"My turn!" the redhead exclaimed. "Kyandi, truth or dare?"

Kyandi decided that it would be safer if she chose to only take dares throughout the night. Regardless of what she had told Minto, Kyandi Coffman did have something to hide. "Dare," Kyandi answered.

Ichigo hesitated. "Um… I don't know any good dares. I never do them. Minto, help!"

Minto smirked. "I dare you to kiss Ichigo."

Kyandi's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

"EH?" Ichigo gasped. "Minto, I don't want her to do that!"

"There's no choice," Minto responded snobbishly. "Those are the rules of the game. Kyandi has to do the dare, or she loses."

"But, but, Minto!" Ichigo exclaimed.

Kyandi sighed in frustration. "Let's get this over with." She stood up and walked over to where Ichigo sat on the bed.

Ichigo blinked. "Eh? You're not really going to do this, are you, Kyandi?"

"I don't lose," Kyandi said simply. "Now, hold still." Kyandi leaned forward and pushed Ichigo down on the bed.

Kisshu watched with round, eager eyes. _"Do it. Do it! D*mn. I'd gladly join this party any day."_

"Kyandi, don't!" Ichigo squealed. "No!" Her cat ears and tail popped out. "No! I haven't even kissed Aoyama-kun yet!" The redhead thrashed in displeasure.

"Shut up and hold still! It was your idea to play this stupid game!" Kyandi argued.

"No!" Ichigo protested. But then her lips were silenced when Kyandi's pressed against them.

Kisshu's heart and… other place… throbbed with lustful joy. It took everything he had not to scream in delight. "Koneko-chan… Peacock…" he murmured. He promptly got lost in a deluge of sexual fantasies.

"There. See? That wasn't so bad," Kyandi said as she pulled away.

Ichigo suddenly vanished into oblivion. A black cat took her place. The other two Mews exclaimed in panic. "What do we do?" Minto demanded of Kyandi.

"Umm… Minto! I dare you to kiss that cat!" Kyandi exclaimed.

Minto was too shaken up to object. "Okay!" She grabbed the Ichigo-kitty and kissed her. Ichigo returned to normal.

"You guys, that was weird!" Ichigo complained.

"I agree," Kyandi affirmed. "So, no more kissing Ichigo dares, okay?"

The other two girls readily agreed.

Kisshu had missed the entire incident, distracted by his daydreams.

The panicked girls decided to end the game and calm down from their scare. "What should we do now?" Ichigo asked.

"Let's tell ghost stories!" Kyandi suggested.

"No! No! I hate ghosts!" Ichigo objected.

"That sounds like fun," Minto grinned. "As a matter of fact, I'll start. This story is called, 'The Ghost of Swan Lake'." Minto began to tell the story, and Ichigo shuddered and hid under her covers.

_Ten minutes later…_

"And so," Minto finished, "the ghost realized that he was in love with Odette. And with this love, he found that he could become human again. The end."

Ichigo, who had peeped out of her blankets halfway through, now clapped and smiled. "Minto, I'm happy. That wasn't scary at all! It was a love story."

Kyandi rolled her eyes. "I asked for a _ghost_ story, not a paranormal romance." She turned to Ichigo. "How about you, Ichigo? Tell me a ghost story."

Ichigo paled, but began. "W- well… Once upon a time, there was a ghost." She paused and stared up at the ceiling with a horrified look on her face. Rapidly, she finished, "And it was very, very scary. The end!" She ducked back under her blankets.

Kyandi shook her head. "That's pathetic. Here. I'll tell you a _real_ ghost story. It happened a long time ago, in one of the houses in the neighborhood I lived in back in America." Of course, this wasn't true. She was merely setting a scene and a mood. The story would be scarier if the hearers thought it was real. "A family moved into a house that everyone knew was haunted." She heard Ichigo whimper under her blankets.

_Twenty minutes later…_

Minto leaned forward, unable to believe what she was hearing. Ichigo had screamed five times already. Kyandi continued the story. "The chair jumped up and down on the dirt floor of the basement. The tired father went and grabbed and shovel, and he and his two oldest sons took turns digging up the dirt as the chair jumped around with glee. One of the sons struck something with his shovel, and after a bit more digging, the family pulled a box to the surface. Inside the box… was a cut up body!"

Ichigo screamed again. "Ah! No! Kyandi, stop! It's terrible!"

Minto was stunned. "No way!"

"Yes," Kyandi nodded. "And that's not the worst of it. The body began to move!"

Minto gasped and leaned forward onto her hands and knees. "That's impossible! You said it was cut up!"

"It was," Kyandi responded. "But somehow, it moved and reassembled itself. With a snarl, the body climbed out of its box. It reached into the box and pulled out an axe. 'Who disturbs my slumber?' he growled viciously. Then he raised his axe and… Well, I'll spare you the gory details. But in the morning, the only things left of that night that the neighbors found were splatters of blood on the wall and the floor."

"Shut. Up!" Minto exclaimed. "Ew! That is so disgusting! That was the best ghost story I've ever heard."

"I know, right?" Kyandi laughed.

They heard soft snoring sounds coming from the bed. Ichigo had fallen asleep; the long day had worn her out. But suddenly… "No!" Ichigo sat up with a scream, the blankets still over her head. "It's so dark! Ah! No! The ghost is coming to get me! It's made me blind!" The cat-girl began to sob.

Kyandi stood up and walked over to the bed, pulling the blankets off of Ichigo's head. "Did you have a nice nightmare?" she asked.

"Kyandi-chan!" Ichigo exclaimed. "You saved me!" Ichigo pulled the sixth mew into a grateful hug.

Kisshu chuckled quietly. If the mews were afraid of things that went bump in the night, maybe he should change his fighting tactics. A night-time battle might be much more successful. And also… he could have some fun playing a prank on them later.

Ichigo was still hugging her and shivering, so Kyandi decided to change the subject. "So… the roller rink date is tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Ichigo exclaimed in excitement, releasing her hold on the peacock mew.

"I'm nervous," Minto admitted. "It will be my first date with Joshua-san."

"That's okay," Ichigo said with a nod. "It will be Kyandi's first date with Chobichi-san too."

"Are you nervous too, Kyandi-san?" Minto asked.

"No," Kyandi answered truthfully.

"I bet you're excited instead, right?" Ichigo guessed.

"No, not really," Kyandi responded, wringing her hands awkwardly and going to sit on the floor near the window.

"W- Why not?" Ichigo asked, beginning to feel sad. She wanted Kyandi to experience love; she wanted her to be happy and excited.

"Well…" Kyandi began, "I don't see the point in getting my hopes up."

"Kyandi-san!" Minto breathed softly. She was surprised that the peacock mew had said something like that.

"I don't believe in love," Kyandi told them both. "So why should I be happy about a date? Nothing good will come out of it. Guys only exist to use us females. It's a sad fact, but a fact nonetheless."

Ichigo shook her head. "No! No, that can't be true. You were flirting with Chobichi-san on the day we first met. Surely, you must believe in love somewhere, deep within your heart."

Kyandi shook her head. "No. I was only playing with him. You see, I use guys like they use us. Somebody has got to teach them not to hurt others. Somebody must teach them not to cause such pain. Perhaps if they know what it feels like, then they won't do it. So, I've made it my mission to teach them how it feels. That's why I could manipulate Kisshu without falling for him. Really, it's what I've been doing for some time now."

Ichigo sighed in disappointment. "That's cold, Kyandi-chan."

"And what they do to us isn't?" Kyandi snapped, scowling.

Ichigo and Minto looked at Kyandi like she was insane. Minto spoke up, "Sure, some guys use us, Kyandi. But… not all of them."

"Aoyama-kun would _never_ do something so horrible!" Ichigo insisted.

Kyandi scoffed. "Just wait. There will come a day when he will betray you. It's a universal law, like gravity or the Second Law of Thermodynamics. It will happen eventually. It must."

"Kyandi-san, you are absolutely terrible!" Ichigo screamed. Tears flooding down her face, Ichigo ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Minto stared at Kyandi with hard, brown eyes. "I understand that you distrust men, Kyandi," she said softly. "But you have no right to try to force your beliefs onto Ichigo. It's just like you told Ryou not too long ago; love is her world. Don't ruin it."

Kyandi shook her head. "But Minto, she's so naïve! I can't stand it. I don't want to watch her get her heart broken."

Minto stood up and walked toward the door, on her way to comfort Ichigo. Just before she left the room, she stopped and turned back to Kyandi with a spark in her eyes. "Sooner or later, Ichigo's heart will be broken. The only thing that you can control is whether or not you're the one who breaks it."

Kyandi sighed to herself as Minto shut the door. The peacock mew was alone in the room, and was beginning to feel very alone in the world. Ichigo probably hated her now, and the look in Minto's eyes had said that _she_ definitely did. Kyandi's friendships were dissolving. Her only relative in Japan was as mean as a snake. Her former lover was discovered to be untrustworthy. The only thing she had now was her security at Café Mew Mew, and her power as a Mew Mew. Kyandi sighed once again and pulled her knees up to her chest as depression began to set in.

Kisshu stared at the girl who had just admitted she had never loved him. His anger was riled up again. He would have her; he would make her be his. No matter what it took, Kisshu Ikisatashi was going to have Kyandi Coffman. Only now… perhaps he should take Ichigo too. After all, Kyandi had just lost the privilege of his faithfulness.

* * *

Later that night, everything had calmed down. All three girls were sleeping; or at least, they were supposed to be. Minto indeed dozed quietly on the pillow in the bed she was sharing with Ichigo. The redhead, however, had decided to get up to get a drink of water. And that's when she heard the crying.

Kyandi was awake, and sobbing into her pillow on Ichigo's bedroom floor. "Kyandi, are you alright?" Ichigo asked softly, being careful not to wake Minto.

"I lied," Kyandi bawled softly.

"You lied? Kyandi, I don't understand," Ichigo whispered as she knelt next to Kyandi.

"I did love… I loved Kisshu," Kyandi cried.

"What?" Ichigo asked with disbelief in her hushed tone.

"Th- That night, o-o-on the beach," Kyandi admitted, "he didn't rape me. I let him do it." Ichigo gasped in shock as Kyandi continued. "What kind of a super hero am I? I fell in love with the d*mned enemy! I told myself that it was okay because I was going to convince him to help us, but I was a d*mned fool, Ichigo. And last night, when I refused him his indulgence with me, he came to you. He didn't give a d*mn about me; he just decided to seek his hedonistic pleasure elsewhere! Well, screw him! – Actually, don't, because he'd probably like it. – I want to kill him, but I also want him to apologize and love me. I love him… but I hate him! I want him, but I want him to leave me alone. I'm crazy for him even though he drives me insane. I don't understand it! It's like my own heart can't even decide what to feel…"

Ichigo began to rub Kyandi's back soothingly: something Sakura had done for Ichigo when she was a child. "Kyandi, it will all be okay. You'll see."

"It won't be!" Kyandi spat vehemently. "Nothing is going to get better for me, Ichigo. Why get my hopes up? When my parents filed for divorce, I was so excited. I thought that the judge would surely place me with my mom, and then I could finally get away from my father. But things didn't work out that way. And now, with Kisshu, I thought that maybe I was wrong about love all this time and was hoping that maybe – just maybe – it actually did exist. And what happened? I was right in the first place, and now I'm crying on your floor like an idiot. So save your false reassurances. I don't need them."

Ichigo pursed her lips and stood up. She didn't know what to say that would help Kyandi, so she went downstairs to get that glass of water she had wanted. On the bed, Minto's eyes were slightly open. Feigning sleep, the lorikeet mew had actually been listening the entire time. Kyandi sniffled before screaming into her pillow, and Minto pretended that the noise had woken her up. "Huh?" the blue mew mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Minto," Kyandi gasped, sitting up herself and hurrying to wipe away the evidence of her weakness. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Uh? Where's Ichigo?" Minto asked in a voice filled with convincing sleepiness.

"She went downstairs," Kyandi answered.

Suddenly, both of the girls heard Ichigo scream and glass shatter. A look passed between the two bird mews, and they both reached for their pendants and rushed to the staircase. Kyandi followed Minto down the stairs and into the kitchen, Masha floating next to her shoulder.

Ichigo stood there with an exceedingly pale face, a broken glass and a pool of water only inches from her bare feet. One of the kitchen chairs was shaking and rattling, seemingly of its own accord. And then, the chair jumped. Ichigo screamed again. "Oh, Kyandi! The chair! The chair is jumping around just like in your ghost story! The ghost has followed you from your American neighborhood and has come here to kill us!" Trembling, the redhead backed into the kitchen counter.

"That can't be. Ghosts aren't real," Minto reasoned.

"Besides," Kyandi admitted, "that story wasn't actually real. I read it in a book somewhere."

Ichigo shrieked in terror as the chair removed itself from beneath the table and began to hop in her direction. "It's going to kill me!"

"There has to be a logical explanation…"Minto said, puzzled.

"Alien! Alien!" Masha peeped.

"And there it is," Kyandi said to Minto.

"Ichigo, it's not a ghost! It's an alien!" Minto spoke loudly, hoping that the mew leader would hear.

But Ichigo was deafened by fear; her heart was racing so loudly in her ears that it blocked out any other sound.

Kyandi wasn't going to waste time trying to get through to Ichigo. "Mew Mew Candy, METAMORPHOSIS!" she shouted before kissing her pendant. Her teal tube dress appeared, her hair turned green, and a peacock tail sprouted from her behind. The chair seemed to laugh in sadistic amusement, but Mew Candy recognized that laugh. "Kisshu!" she spat venomously.

That name broke Ichigo out of her stupor. "K- K- Kisshu?" she gasped in shock. "Mew Mew Strawberry –!" She paused and looked around. "Oh crap… I left my pendant upstairs."

Kisshu lowered his invisibility shield and winked at Mew Candy. "Good night, ladies. I'll see you tomorrow." And then he vanished.

Minto blinked. "Don't tell me he was just trying to prank us!"

Candy's transformation dissolved and she looked from Minto to Ichigo. "He used the story of the chair to scare Ichigo." The other girls looked at her. "Girls, you know what that means, right?"

"W- What?" Ichigo sputtered.

Kyandi looked straight into Ichigo's eyes. "He's been watching us all night."

* * *

**Author: Phew. Sorry guys. I haven't updated in a while because, well... This chapter was hard to write! The sleepovers I attend are neither scandalous nor dramatic, so for your better entertainment, I had to have a media binge for my inspiration. After watching Dog Days, Mirai Nikki and Mean Girls, reading some of the Grey Wolves series by Quinn Loftis, recording my parody series lines for YouTube and making several AMVs, and going to camp for a week, I received a PM from Tadaseluver123. In this PM, she urged me to continue. I couldn't stand having my readers think that I was one of those authors that doesn't finish her stories, so I kindly explained that I was having writer's block and was looking for inspiration. Then, yesterday, I made the image for the story's new cover art and found the muse for which I was searching. So, I trapped said muse and locked her in a jar and sucked the life out of her in order to finish this chapter. This story is now responsible for the death of a Greek myth. Hopefully, this chapter satisfies.**


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